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Wisconsin  Agricultural  Experiment  Station, 


BULLETIN  NO.  1. 


SWEET  SKIM  MILK;  ITS  VALUE  AS  FOOD  FOR 
PIGS  AND  CALVES. 


MADISON,  WISCONSIN,  AUGUST,  1883. 


Democrat  Printing  Company,  State  Printers. 


WISCONSIN 


AGRICULTURAL  EXPERIMENT  STATION. 


The  Wisconsin  Agricultural  Experiment  Station  was  or- 
ganized by  the  Board  of  Kegents  of  the  University  of  Wis- 
consin June  1883,  in  compliance  with  chapter  300,  of  the  laws 
of  1883.  The  Station  is  under  the  control  of  a committee  of 
the  Board  of  Regents.  The  members  of  this  committee  are: 

Hiram  Smith,  Sheboygan  Falls. 

H.  D.  Hitt,  Oakfield. 

Charles  H.  Williams,  Baraboo. 

The  work  of  the  Station  will  be  conducted  by  the  profes- 
sors of  the  Agricultural  Department  of  the  University. 
They  are: 

W.  A.  Henry,  Agriculture. 

William  Trelease,  Botany  and  Horticulture. 

H.  P.  Armsby,  Agricultural  Chemistry. 

It  is  earnestly  urged  that  those  interested  in  the  advance- 
ment of  agricultural  knowledge  in  Wisconsin  place  them- 
selves in  hearty  co-operation  with  the  Experiment  Station. 
Letters  of  enquiry  upon  agricultural  subjects  will  be  gladly 
received  and  given  such  consideration  as  their  contents 
demand.  At  the  Station  is  kept  a list  of  persons  to  whom 
bulletins,  reports,  etc.,  will  be  sent  whenever  issued.  This 
bulletin  is  sent  direct  to  all  persons  whose  names  we  have. 
Those  receiving  it  through  some  third  party,  are  urged  to 
send  their  names  at  once,  on  a postal  card.  Any  inaccuracies 
of  address  in  the  present  list  will  be  corrected  upon  notifica- 
tion. 

We  have  on  hand  for  distribution  a number  of  copies  of 
the  report  of  the  last  State  Cane  Growers  Association,  and 
the  last  Report  of  Experiments  on  Amber  Cane  and  the  En- 
silage of  Fodders  at  the  Experimental  Farm;  these  will  be 
sent  upon  application,  until  exhausted. 

All  persons  are  cordially  invited  to  visit  the  University 
and  Experiment  Station  and  see  us  at  our  work. 

38746 


4 


INTRODUCTORY. 

One  thousand  pounds  of  average  milk  contain : 

Casein 32  pounds. 

Fat 36  pounds. 

Milk  sugar 45  pounds. 

Mineral  matter 7 pounds. 

By  setting  milk  in  deep  cans,  placed  in  cold  water,  the  fat, 
or  cream,  can  he  removed  before  any  decomposition  occurs. 
When  we  reflect  that  in  butter  making  only  fat  is  removed 
from  the  milk,  it  will  appear  reasonable  that  skim  milk, 
properly  managed,  should  possess  a high  value  for  feeding 
purposes.  This  bulletin  shows  the  results  of  our  efforts  to 
ascertain  the  value  of  sweet  skim  milk  when  fed  to  pigs  and 
calves. 

Before  describing  the  experiments,  the  following  points 
should  be  noted:  The  milk  used  in  the  experiments  was 

well  skimmed.  It  was  perfectly  sweet  when  fed.  In  the 
account  of  the  experiments  skim  milk  is  always  spoken  of 
as  "milk,”  simply,  to  avoid  repetition,  and  corn  meal  as 
" meal.”  In  conducting  the  experiments,  all  possible  precau- 
tions were  taken  to  avoid  error.  The  animals  were  fed  for 
at  least  a week  before  the  experiment  began  upon  the  same 
food  and  under  the  same  conditions  as  during  the  trial.  The 
food  was  always  given  by  weight,  and  the  animals  were 
weighed  at  the  same  hour  of  the  day  regularly.  While  the 
details  of  the  experiment  are  exact  in  these  particulars,  the 
deductions  are  of  a different  nature.  Thus,  the  conclusions 
as  to  the  value  of  the  milk  when  pork  is  worth  $5.00  per  100 
pounds,  live  weight,  and  corn  meal  $1.00  per  100  pounds,  are 
merely  provisional.  Should  the  reader  dissent  from  any 
one  of  these  premises,  he  can  assign  other  values  and  obtain 
other  results,  as  he  may  choose.  In  the  deductions  follow- 
ing the  experiments,  fractions  and  insignificant  amounts 
have  been  avoided,  as  they  only  tend  to  confuse  the  general 
reader. 

It  is  planned  to  continue  these  experiments  and  bring  them 
still  nearer  the  actual  conditions,  as  they  have  to  be  met  by 
the  farmers  of  the  state. 


5 

I. 

MILK  AND  MEAL  FED  SEPARATELY. 

This  experiment  was  given  in  detail  in  the  annual  report 
of  the  Board  of  Regents  of  the  University  of  Wisconsin  for 
1881,  but  as  that  report  had  but  a small  circulation  and  the 
experiment  is  in  point,  a short  account  is  here  given. 

The  pigs  were  good  Poland-Chinas,  eighty-six  days  old 
when  the  test  began.  They  were  weighed  every  five  days 
during  the  trial.  There  were  two  pigs  in  each  lot.  The  trial 
began  July  22,  1881. 

Lot  I received  all  the  milk  that  could  be  consumed  with- 
out waste. 

Lot  II  was  fed  corn  meal  soaked  in  water  until  slightly^ 
sour. 

Both  lots  were  fed  green  clover  from  racks,  but  they  soon 
showed  so  little  care  for  it  that  its  use  was  discontinued. 

The  test  continued  twenty-five  days,  when  the  feed  of  the1 
two  lots  was  reversed,  and  after  a week  of  intermission  the 
experiment  was  continued  twenty-five  days  more. 

The  following  table  shows  the  results: 


Lot. 

Weight  at  the 
beginning. 

Weight  at  the 
close. 

p 

'3 

O 

Milk  fed. 

Meal  fed. 

Clover  eaten. 

Lbs. 

Lbs. 

Lbs. 

Lbs. 

Lbs. 

Lbs. 

( 

I. 

113 

1634 

504 

1168 

77 

First  Trial - 

l 

II. 

105f 

1484 

42f 

169 

154 

i 

I. 

1724 

234 

614 

253 

Second  Trial - 

l 

II. 

153 

232 

79 

1264 

If  we  do  not  take  into  account  the  clover  eaten  we  find? 
as  the  average  of  the  two  trials,  that  400  pounds*  of  corn 
meal,  or  1,900  pounds  of  milk  were  required  to  produce  a 
gain  of  100  pounds,  live  weight. 


6 


II. 

FEEDING  MILK  AND  MEAL  TOGETHER. 

At  the  German  Experiment  Stations,  where  feeding  trials 
have  been  carried  on  for  a great  many  years,  by  the  aid  of 
chemistry  they  have  found  out  the  various  nutritive  ele- 
ments in  our  feeding  materials,  and  have  constructed  tables 
showing  the  amount  of  nutriment  in  any  named  article. 
German  investigators  have  also  prepared  rabies,  based  on 
the  results  of  their  experiments,  showing  the  amounts  and 
proportions  of  the  various  nutritive  elements  which  have, 
in  their  experience,  proved  best  adapted  to  the  growth  or 
maintenance  of  an  animal  under  given  conditions.  Thus: 
Wolff  recommends  that  two  pigs,  two  to  three  months  old, 
and  weighing  fifty  pounds  each,  receive  per  day  three- 
fourths  of  a pound  of  digestible  protein  and  three  pounds  of 
digestible  carbhydrates.  (The  cheese  of  milk  is  protein  while 
the  sugar  of  the  milk  belongs  to  the  carbhydrates.  Both 
protein  and  the  carbhydrates  exist  in  corn,  but  the  latter 
greatly  in  excess  of  the  former  as  all  the  starch  of  the  corn 
is  a carbhydrate.)  These  tables  of  “ Feeding  Standards” 
are  the  result  of  German  experience.  One  object  of  the  fol- 
lowing experiments  was  to  get  an  idea  as  to  whether  this 
German  experience  is  directly  applicable  to  our  own  circum- 
stances, or  whether  it  needs  to  be  modified  to  adapt  it  to 
local  conditions.  We  hope  to  experiment  further  in  this  di- 
rection in  future. 

Four  lots  of  pigs,  two  in  each  lot,  were  used  in  this  trial. 
They  were  about  the  same  age  and  breeding  as  those  de- 
scribed in  the  first  experiment.  The  trial  began  August  31, 

1882. 

It  was  decided  to  feed  Lot  I in  accordance  with  the  Ger- 
man feeding  standards  as  nearly  as  could  be  without  special 
analyses  of  the  feed.  In  so  doing,  if  the  standard  was  suited 
to  our  conditions,  there  should  be  no  loss  of  any  of  the  food 
elements,  and  growth  should  be  attained  at  a minimum  ex- 
pense for  food.  Accordingly  the  food  for  this  lot  was  four- 
teen poi^ids  of  milk  and  three  and  one-half  pounds  of  meal 
for  100  pounds  of  live  weight.  The  pigs  were  weighed  every 
three  days  and  the  necessary  amount  of  food  for  the  next 


< 


three  days  calculated  from  this  weight.  It  will  be  seen  that 
a definite  amount  of  food  was  given  each  day  in  this  trial. 

To  Lot  II  was  given  twenty-six  pounds  of  milk  and  two 
and  one-half  pounds  of  meal  per  100  pounds  live  weight.  In 
this  ration  there  was  an  excess  of  protein  amounting  to 
about  forty  per  cent. 

Lot  III  was  fed  an  excess  of  thirty-three  per  cent,  of  carb- 
liydrates  by  allowing  nine  pounds  of  milk  and  five  and  one- 
half  of  meal  per  100  pounds  of  live  weight. 

Lot  IY  received  all  the  corn  meal,  soaked  until  slightly 
sour,  that  could  be  eaten. 

The  trial  lasted  eighteen  days  with  the  following  results : 


Lot. 

Weight  at 
beginning. 

Weight  at 
close. 

Gain. 

Milk  fed. 

Meal  fed. 

Lbs. 

Lbs. 

Lbs. 

I 

1181 

1771 

59 

403  lbs.,  5 oz. 

77  lbs.,  10  oz. 

II 

122f 

199 

761 

733  lbs.,  8 oz. 

70  lbs.,  3 oz. 

Ill 

124 

2001 

761 

257  lbs.,  1 oz. 

156  lbs.,  3 oz. 

IY 

1231 

1561 

331 

0 

168  lbs. 

We  observe  that  at  the  rates  of  increase  given.  Lot  I would 
require  130  pounds  of  meal  and  680  pounds  of  milk  for  100 
pounds  of  growth.  Granting  that  corn  meal  be  worth  $1.00 
per  100  pounds  and  pork  $5.00  per  100  pounds,  live  weight, 
the  milk  fed  in  this  way  would  be  worth  54  cents  per  100 
pounds. 

With  Lot  II  960  pounds  of  milk  and  96  pounds  of  meal 
would  be  necessary  to  produce  100  pounds  of  pork,  and  with 
prices'  allowed  as  with  Lot  I,  the  milk  would  be  worth  only 
40  cents  per  100  pounds. 

With  Lot  III  there  would  be  required  200  pounds  of  meal 
and  330  pounds  of  milk  for  100  pounds  of  growth.  In  this 
case  the  milk  is  worth  90  cents  per  hundred  pounds. 

With  Lot  IY  500  pounds  of  meal  would  be  required  for 
100  pounds  of  growth.  This  allows  just  one  dollar  per  100 
pounds  for  the  meal. 


8 


III. 

FEEDING  MILK  AND  MEAL  TOGETHER. 

Four  very  lean  shotes,  of  uncertain  age  and  breeding, 
were  purchased  for  this  trial.  They  took  kindly  to  good 
care,  and  for  six  weeks  previous  to  the  trial  made  fair  gains, 
showing  that  they  were  not  stunted.  They  were  placed  in 
pens,  in  pairs,  and  to  Lot  I was  given  milk  and  meal  at  the 
rate  of  3J  pounds  of  milk  to  1 pound  of  meal.  The  first  day 
of  the  trial  this  lot  received  31^  pounds  of  milk  and  9 pounds 
of  meal;  after  that  and  to  the  close  of  the  test  it  was  fed  12 
pounds  of  meal  and  42  pounds  of  milk,  in  three  feeds,  per 
day. 

To  Lot  II  was  given  ten  pounds  of  milk  to  one  of  meal. 
During  the  first  day  of  the  trial  this  lot  was  fed  4£  pounds 
of  meal  and  45  pounds  of  milk.  After  the  first  day  it  re- 
ceived 6 pounds  of  meal  and  60  pounds  of  milk,  in  three 
feeds,  daily. 

The  pigs  were  weighed  daily  during  the  whole  test.  The 
trial  began  May  31,  1883,  and  lasted  twenty-five  days,  with 
the  following  result: 


Lot. 

Weight  at 
beginning. 

Weight  at 
close. 

Gain. 

Meal  eaten. 

Milk  eaten. 

Lbs. 

Lbs. 

Lbs.\ 

Lbs. 

Lbs. 

I 

295 

4234 

1284; 

297 

10394 

II 

300 

400  ; 

100 

1484 

1485 

From  this  we  see  that  Lot  1 required  230  pounds  of  meal 
and  800  pounds  of  milk  for  100  of  gain.  Placing  the  same 
value  on  meal  and  pork  as  before,  the  milk  would  be  worth 
34  cents  per  hundred  pounds. 

Lot  II  required  148  pounds  of  meal  and  1,485  pounds  of 
milk  for  100  pounds  of  gain.  This  gives  to  the  milk  a value 
of  24  cents  per  hundred  pounds. 

While  the  reader  will  notice  a large  variation  in  the  value 
of  the  milk  fed  in  these  two  experiments  last  detailed,  it  will 


9 


appear  plain,  I think,  that  in  the  most  economical  feeding  a 
large  amount  of  meal  should  be  fed  with  the  milk.  It  will 
be  noticed  that  the  greatest  gain  for  a given  amount  of  food 
was  with  the  third  lot  of  pigs  in  the  second  experiment, 
where  two  pounds  of  meal  were  fed  with  three  and  a third 
of  milk.  It  will  be  noted  that  the  German  Feeding  Tables 
were  no  guide  to  economy,  and  that  a feed  ration  where 
there  was  an  excess  of  carbhydrates,  according  to  the  tables, 
was  superior  to  one  where  protein  was  in  excess.  In  other 
words  the  experiments  indicate  (for  they  are  too  few  to  prove ) 
that  by  feeding  more  protein  than  the  standard  calls  for,  we 
may  produce  a greater  gain,  and  by  feeding  more  carbhy- 
drates than  the  standard  calls  for  we  may  produce  both  a 
greater  and  cheaper  gain,  while  Lot  IY  warns  us  that,  if  we 
let  the  amount  of  protein  sink  too  low,  we  shall  get  a very 
unsatisfactory  result. 

So  far  as  corn  meal  and  skim-milk  are  concerned,  this  is 
equivalent  to  saying  that  much  meal  should  be  fed  with  the 
milk,  since  the  meal  furnishes  largely  carbhydrates  and  the 
milk  largely  protein.  The  advantage  of  stating  the  results 
in  this  way  is  that  they  may  be  applied  to  any  combination 
of  feeds,  if  the  feeder  only  knows  how  much  protein  and  carb- 
hydrates they  contain. 

Until  further  trials  are  made  the  statement  made  by  Mr.  H. 
B.  Gurber,  in  the  National  Live  Stock  Journal  for  March, 
1883,  is  a safe  guide,  “ That  skim-milk  skillfully  fed  is  worth 
half  as  much  per  hundred  pounds  as  corn  is  worth  per  bushel.” 

SKIM-MILK  FOR  CALF  FEED. 

During  the  present  summer  three  grade  Holstein  calves 
have  been  fed  skim-milk  with  “ old  process”  oil  meal  and  a 
little  whole  oats.  The  oil  meal  was  fed  with  the  milk  and 
was  prepared  by  scalding  with  water  in  a wooden  pail.  To 
the  pudding  thus  made  of  the  meal  was  added  the  milk, 
which  was  always  warmed  to  ninety  degrees  before  feeding. 
The  oats  were  placed  in  a box  in  the  calves’  stall  where  the 
calves  soon  learned  to  eat  them. 

A heifer  calf,  dropped  January  22,  1883,  was  fed  sixteen 
pounds  of  milk  with  a little  meal  twice  a day,  from  June  5th 


10 


to  July  26tli.  It  was  allowed  oats  but  after  a time  refused  to 
eat  them.  The  calf  was  kept  in  a small  pasture  lot  and  at  night 
in  the  stable.  During  the  trial  of  51  days  it  consumed  eight- 
een and  one-half  pounds  of  oats,  108  pounds  of  oil  meal,  and 
1,632  pounds  of  milk  and  gained  113  pounds  or  two  and  one- 
fifth  pounds  per  day. 

A heifer  calf,  dropped  April  1st,  1883,  and  a bull  calf, 
dropped  April  22d,  were  kept  in  the  stable  during  a trial  of 
the  same  length  as  that  noted  above.  The  milk  fed  varied 
with  the  wants  of  the  animals  from  ten  to  fifteen  pounds  at 
a feed  twice  a day,  together  with  oil  meal  and  oats. 

The  heifer  calf  was  unthrifty  from  birth  and  did  not  make 
satisfactory  growth.  The  amount  of  milk  consumed  by  the 
heifer  during  the  trial  was  1,208  pounds,  and  by  the  bull  1,437, 
while  the  two  together  ate  113J  pounds  of  oil  meal  and 
78  pounds  of  oats.  The  heifer  gained  82  pounds  and  the  bull 
120  pounds  in  51  days,  a gain  of  one  and  three- fifths  and 
two  and  one-third  pounds  respectively  per  day. 

The  calf  fed  by  itself  made  a pound  of  growth  for  each 
fourteen  pounds  of  milk  and  one  pound  of  oil  meal  fed.  The 
two  calves  fed  together  made  a pound  of  growth  for  thirteen 
pounds  of  milk,  one-half  pound  of  oil  meal  and  one-third 
pound  of  oats. 

The  calf  born  January  22d  weighs  to-day,  August  13th, 
514  pounds,  and  can  easily  be  made  to  weigh  800  pounds 
when  a year  old.  This  is  certainly  sufficiently  rapid  growth 
if  a good  milking  cow  is  the  object.  To  keep  a calf  fat  is 
well  enough  if  beef  is  the  ultimate  object,  but  it  is  in  accord- 
ance with  nature  and  the  practice  of  some  of  our  most  care- 
ful breeders  of  choice  dairy  cows  to  keep  the  calf  healthy 
and  growing,  but  not  fat.  Growing  up  with  a limited 
amount  of  food,  when  maturity  is  reached  and  the  animal 
gives  milk  the  influence  of  high  feeding  is  seen  in  the  extra 
yield  of  milk,  and  not  in  laying  on  fat. 

The  greatest  mistake  Wisconsin  dairymen  are  making 
to-day  is  in  not  paying  more  attention  to  selecting  and  rear- 
ing calves  from  their  best  milking  cows.  While  shrewd  in 
selecting  and  purchasing  good  milking  animals,  they  are 
often  carelessly  indifferent  as  to  saving  any  of  the  calves  of 
such  cows  because  of  the  cost  or  trouble  of  caring  for  them. 


11 


Thousands  of  calves  are  slaughtered  in  our  state  every 
year  that  have  in  them  the  elements  of  as  good  milkers  as 
most  of  the  cows  imported  from  other  countries  at  large 
prices. 


UNIVERSITY  OF  WISCONSIN 


Agricultural  Experiment  Station. 


BULLETIN  NO.  2. 


AMOUNT  AND  CONDITION  OF  SEED  CORN  IN 
WISCONSIN. 


MADISON,  WISCONSIN,  APRIL,  1884. 


Democrat  Printing  Company,  State  Printers. 


UNIVERSITY  OF  WISCONSIN. 


Agricultural  Experiment  Station. 


COMMITTEE  OF  BOARD  OF  REGENTS  IN  CHARGE 


OF  THE  STATION. 

Hon.  HIRAM  SMITH,  Chairman, 

Hon  H.  D.  HITT, 

Hon.  C.  H.  V7ILLIAMS,  - 

Sheboygan  Falls. 

Oakfield. 

Baraboo. 

OFFICERS  OF  THE  STATION. 


W.  A.  HENRY, 
WM.  TRELEASE, 
H.  P.  ARMSBY, 


Prof,  of  Agriculture. 

- Prof,  of  Botany  and  Horticulture. 
Prof,  of  Agricultural  Chemistry. 


LESLIE  ADAMS,  - - - Foreman  of  Farm. 


Office  and  Laboratory  at  Nos.  4 3 and  47  South  Dormitory.  Experimental  fields 
and  barn  on  the  University  farm. 


SEED  CORN  IN  WISCONSIN. 


To  the  Farmers  of  Wisconsin: 

No  explanation  is  necessary  for  the  effort  made  by  the 
Experiment  Station  to  ascertain  the  condition  and  amount 
of  seed  corn  in  the  state;  its  importance  is  plain  to  all.  With 
planting  time  almost  at  hand  we  find  many  without  seed  of 
any  kind  and  others  with  that  of  poor  quality.  A lively  in- 
terest must  be  taken  in  this  matter  at  once,  or  the  area 
planted  to  corn  will  be  decreased  this  season  when  it  should 
be  increased.  If  parties  fail  to  secure  seed,  it  is  because  the 
amount  available  is  not  properly  distributed,  rather  than  be- 
cause there  is  any  actual  dearth. 

In  order  to  show  the  condition  of  our  state  in  this  regard, 
we  present  herewith  reports  of  correspondents  from  nearly 
all  the  counties  of  the  state  as  to  amount  of  seed  on  hand, 
etc.,  and  give  a report  of  about  125  samples  of  seed  received 
and  tested  by  the  station. 

The  samples  received  were  tested  as  follows: 

Fifty  grains  were  counted  out  in  a five-inch  flower-pot 
saucer  which  rested  on  a seven-inch  saucer.  Into  this  larger 
saucer  water  was  poured  which  rose  through  the  porous 
material  and  moistened  the  seed.  A third  saucer,  interme- 
diate in  size,  was  inverted  over  the  one  holding  the  corn,  and 
the  whole  kept  at  a uniform  temperature  of  about  70  degrees 
Fahranheit.  All  samples  received  the  same  treatment. 

Several  parties  reported  samples  sent  which  were  never 
received.  All  samples  received  up  to  March  20th  have  been 
tested  and  are  here  reported. 


6 


TEST  OF  SEED  CORN  BY  THE  STATION. 


Name. 

Post  Office. 

County. 

No.  of  grains 
outof50tnat 
sprouted. 

Condition. 

Adams 

40 

Medium. 

W W Flynn 

Barron  . 

48 

Medium. 

J D McAllister 

Brown  . 

40 

Strong . 

Ruffalo 

42 

Medium. 

Buffalo 

40 

Medium . 

Buffalo 

16 

Poor. 

Buffalo 

40 

Strong. 

Buffalo . 

48 

Strong. 

Buffalo 

45 

Strong. 

Calumet 

20 

Not  mature . 

Calumet  . . . 

44 

Medium. 

R L Allen  

Calumet 

10 

Not  mature. 

Chippewa. . . . 

31 

Medium. 

Neillsville 

Clark  

21 

Weak. 

Columbia  .... 

46 

Strong. 

Columbia  .... 

49 

Very  strong. 

West  Point 

Columbia  .... 

36 

Strong. 

Crawford  .... 

38 

Medium. 

Marshall 

Dane 

37 

Strong. 

M.  G.  Beaver 

Sun  Prairie 

Dane 

23 

Not  mature. 

E.  Pederson 

Primrose  

Dane 

47 

Strong. 

W.  D.  Clark 

Albion 

Dane 

18 

Weak. 

Charles  Weston 

Burnett 

Dodge 

27 

Very  weak. 

Lewis  Ostenson 

Alderly 

Dodge  . . 

41 

Strong. 

P.  J.  Harger 

Danville 

Dodge 

48 

Very  strong. 

J.  G.  Waterston 

Fall  City 

Dunn 

31 

Medium. 

J.  F.  Ellis 

Eau  Claire 

Eau  Claire. . . 

0 

Not  mature. 

Chas.  Vanderburg 

Augusta 

Eau  Claire. . . 

36 

Medium. 

H.  D.  Hitt 

Oakfield 

Fond  du  Lac. 

45 

Very  strong. 

H.  C.  Sherwin  

Ladoga 

Fond  du  Lac. 

47 

Very  strong. 

Geo.  C.  Hill 

Rosendale  

Fond  du  Lac . 

50 

Very  strong. 

A E Rundell.  

Livingston  . 

Grant  . . . 

50 

Strong. 

H.  S.  Keene 

Lancaster 

Grant 

48 

Strong. 

B.  T.  Wall 

Montfort 

Grant  

38 

Medium. 

N N Palmer  

Brodhead  . 

Green  ....... 

50 

Very  strong. 

M.  H.  Gill 

Dayton  

Green 

47 

Strong. 

C.  H.  Baxter 

Montieello 

Green 

41 

Strong. 

H.  E.  Umbreit 

Salemville  

Green  Lake . . 

43 

Strong. 

H.  Floyd 

Berlin .... 

Green  Lake . . 

47 

Strong. 

M.  A.  Powers 

Dartford 

Green  Lake . . 

48 

Strong. 

W.  M.  Chapel 

Kingston 

Green  Lake . . 

38 

Medium. 

Herman  Grunow 

Mifflin  

Iowa 

49 

Strong. 

James  Spensley 

Mineral  Point 

Iowa 

37 

Strong. 

James  L.  Jones 

Helena 

Iowa 

24 

Weak. 

Chas.  H.  Berryman  . . . 

Dodgeville 

Iowa 

47 

Strong. 

Thos.  Convey 

Ridgeway 

Iowa 

47 

Strong. 

Jacob  Hanson 

Black  River  Falls  .... 

Jackson 

48 

Strong. 

Miles  Lamb 

Melrose 

Jackson 

25 

Medium. 

Gardiner  Morrison  .... 

North  Bend 

Jackson 

46 

Strong. 

E.  Crump 

Lake  Mills  

Jefferson  .... 

46 

Strong. 

V.  Lo  we 

Palmyra 

Jefferson  .... 

45 

Strong. 

J.  A.  Clark 

Waterloo 

Jefferson  .... 

35 

Medium. 

I.  N.  Grant 

Union  Center 

Juneau 

47 

Strong. 

D.  J.  Vincent 

W ilmot  

Kenosha  .... 

36 

Medium . 

R F Roberts 

W oodworth  . . 

Kenosha 

47 

Strong. 

F.  Sprain 

Barre  Mills 

La  Hrosse 

44 

Strong. 

J.  M.  Brooks 

Bangor  

La  Crosse 

43 

Strong. 

J J.  Johnson 

La  Crosse 

La  Crosse .... 

34 

Strong. 

A.  J.  Phillips 

West  Salem 

La  Crosse 

34 

Strong. 

E P.  Benedict 

Belmont 

La  Fayett  i. . . 

50 

Very  strong 

T H.  Sheldon 

Darlington 

La  Fayette. . . 

49 

Strong. 

Wm.  Buckingham 

Yellowstone  

La  Fayette. . . 

47 

Strong 

J Van  Maitre 

Fayette  

La  Fayette . . . 

43 

Very  strong. 

F.  Schubring.,  

Wausau 

Marathon 

TEST  OF  SEED  CORN  BY  THE  STATION  — Continued. 


Name. 

Post  Office. 

County. 

No.  of  grains 
out  of  50  that 
sprouted. 

Condition. 

Moundville 

Marquette .... 

45 

Strong. 

Root  Creek 

Milwaukee  . . . 

48 

Strong. 

Oak  Creek 

Milwaukee  . . . 

41 

Medium. 

Milwaukee  . . . 

48 

Strong. 

Milwaukee  . . . 

15 

Not  mature . 

Monroe 

47 

Strong. 

Monroe 

36 

Strong. 

Monroe 

44 

Strong. 

Monroe 

44 

Strong. 

E.  L.  Widger 

Oconto 

46 

Strong. 

B S Wolcott 

Outagamie  . . . 

44 

Strong. 

Outagamie  . . . 

45 

Strong. 

P.  F.  Kaehler 

Ozaukee 

48 

Strong. 

Ozaukee 

46 

Strong. 

C.  W.  Wright 

Clifton 

Pierce  

42 

Weak, 

Ono 

Pierce  

40 

Strong. 

It.  J.  Wilcox 

Pierce  

43 

Strong. 

E.  P.  Kalsted 

Portage 

41 

Strong. 

S.  M.  Burwell 

Portage 

46 

Strong. 

D.  E.  Frost 

Portage 

18 

Mouldy. 

Ellis  

Portage 

8a 

Weak. 

C.  K.  Stearns 

Caledonia 

Racine 

42 

Medium. 

D.  Utter 

Caldwell 

Racine 

39 

Strong. 

J.  Q.  Black 

Lone  Rock 

Richland 

47 

Strong. 

J.  F.  Barnes 

Booz 

Richland 

46 

Strong. 

M.  A.  Gill 

Viola 

Richland 

48 

Strong. 

H.  F.  Coates 

Excelsior  

Richland  .... 

33 

Medium . 

A.  Barlass 

Emerald  Grove 

Rock 

42 

Strong, 

I).  G.  Cheever 

Clinton 

Rock 

47 

Strong. 

J.  G.  Carr 

Milton  Junction 

Rock 

50 

Very  strong. 

S.  C.  Crow 

Centre 

Rock 

42 

Strong. 

L.  0.  Foster 

Warren 

St.  Croix 

13 

Poor. 

Wm.  Toole 

North  Freedom 

Sauk 

48 

Strong. 

M.  E.  Seymour 

Reedsburg  

Sauk 

50 

Strong. 

Chas.  Pearson 

Ironton  

Sauk  . 

50 

Very  strong. 

F.  J.  Averv 

Prairie  du  Sac 

Sauk  . . 

48 

Strong. 

J.  S.  Kl'sverdahl 

Wittenburg 

Shawano 

31 

Weak. 

S.  Littlefield 

Plymouth 

Shebcygan  . . 

34 

Strong. 

W.  W.  Anderson 

Cascade 

Sheboygan  . . 

24 

Medium . 

A.  M.  Melsness 

Chimney  Rock 

Trempealeau . 

18 

Not  mature. 

I.  Clark 

Galesville 

Trempealeau . 

46 

Medium . 

Robt.  Somerville 

Galesville 

Trempealeau . 

43 

Strong. 

J.  Rhodes 

Trempealeau 

Trempealeau . 

30 

Strong. 

W.  Frazier 

Esofea  

Vernon  

49 

Very  strong. 

A.  D.  McDowell 

De  Soto 

Vernon  

44 

Strong. 

W.  Cox 

Viroqua 

Vernon  

36 

Medium. 

J.  E.  Seaver 

Darien 

Walworth  .... 

45 

Strong. 

S.  Brooks  

East  Troy 

Walworth  .... 

47 

Strong. 

F.  Yon  Rhienen 

South  Germantown  . . 

Washington  . . 

46 

Very  strong. 

W.  W.  Brown 

Merton 

Waukesha 

46 

Strong. 

W.  H.  Hardy 

Genesee  

Waukesha. . . . 

32 

Strong. 

A.  W.  Bennett 

Weyauwega  

Waupaca 

46 

Strong. 

A.  H.  Chandler 

Waupava 

Waupaca 

46 

Strong. 

W.  E.  Hamilton 

Evanswood 

Waupaca 

49 

Strong. 

W.  H.  Nicholson 

Eureka 

Winnebago. . . 

43 

Strong. 

A.  C.  Austin 

Oshkosh  

Winnebago. . . 

14 

Weak. 

A.  Anderson 

Neenah  

Winnebago. . . 

48 

Strong. 

W.  Gaulke 

Grand  Rapids 

Wood 

50 

Strong. 

S.  L.  Nason 

Nasonville  

Wood 

10 

Weak. 

8 


EXTRACTS  FROM  REPORTS  OF  CORRESPONDENTS. 


ADAMS  COUNTY. 

Very  little  seed  corn  saved  here.  Very  poor. 

G.  W.  Stevens,  Eastman. 

BARRON  COUNTY. 

Good  seed  corn,  at  a reasonable  price,  would  be  a great  boon  to  this  county 
this  spring.  W.  W.  Flinn,  Chetek. 

BROWN  COUNTY. 

I do  not  know  of  a bushel  of  seed  corn  fit  to  plant. 

J.  M.  Smith,  Green  Bay. 

No  seed  in  this  quarter  to  speak  of. 

J.  D.  McAllister,  Mills  Center. 

I have  no  seed  corn  myself,  and  so  far  have  been  unable  to  get  any. 

F.  J.  Martin,  DePere. 

BUFFALO  COUNTY. 

Do  not  think  there  is  seed  enough  in  this  community  to  plant  the  amount 
of  land  desired.  L.  D.  Hobart,  Alma  Center. 

Seed  corn  is  scarce  in  this  county,  especially  in  the  valleys. 

Joseph  M.  Reitz,  Fountain  City. 

Seed  corn  not  very  plenty. 

J.  Gibson,  Misha  Mokwa. 

Not  more  than  half  enough  in  this  section  to  supply  the  demand. 

L.  V.  Jones,  Urne’s  Corners. 

CALUMET  COUNTY. 

There  has  been  a larger  amount  of  seed  saved  in  my  neighborhood  than 
will  be  needed,  if  it  all  grows.  E.  W.  Wing,  Brothertown, 

Good  seed  corn  is  very  scarce,  I believe. 

Aug.  Paulsen,  Jr.,  New  Holstein. 

I think  there  is  considerable  to  be  had  in  this  locality,  as  corn  was  not 
cut  by  the  frost  on  the  lake  shore. 

R.  L.  Allen,  Stockbridge. 
CHIPPEWA  COUNTY. 

The  corn  crop  was  so  totally  cut  that  I do  not  know  what  we  will  do  for 
seed.  Jos.  Bates,  Chippewa  Falls. 

CLARK  COUNTY. 

After  inquiring,  I find  that  no  corn  ripened  last  season,  and  there  is  no 
seed  corn  about  here.  Wm.  Tassenhaus,  Green  Grove. 


Nine-tenths  of  the  seed  planted  next  spring  will  have  to  be  imported. 

G.  A.  Austin,  Neillsville. 

COLUMBIA  COUNTY. 


There  is  a sufficient  amount  of  seed  corn  to  supply  this  vicinity. 

Kennedy  Scott,  Rio. 

I think  there  is  no  more  seed  corn  in  this  township  than  will  be  needed 
for  planting.  L.  W.  Oarncross,  West  Point. 

Our  neighbors  have  generally  saved  seed . 

L.  P ashley,  Lodi. 

CRAWFORD  COUNTY. 

Seed  corn  plenty  in  the  county;  some  being  sold  into  Iowa. 

J.  F.  Sprosty,  Eastman. 

Do  not  think  good  seed  plenty  about  here. 

B.  F.  Fay,  Prairie  du  Chien. 


DANE  COUNTY. 

There  seems  to  be  plenty  of  seed  saved . 

M.  G.  Beaver,  Sun  Prairie. 

Think -we  have  saved  enough,  and  have  taken  unusual  care. 

Joseph  Hart,  Marshall. 


Very  little  seed  corn  last  year. 

DODGE  COUNTY. 


H.  C.  Coon,  Albion. 


I have  not  half  enough  seed  and  do  not  know  where  to  get  it. 

Chas.  Weston,  Burnett. 

There  is  plenty  of  seed  corn  about  here,  some  farmers  having  saved  40  or 
50  bushels . Lewis  Ostenson,  Alderly. 

DUNN  COUNTY. 


Seed  corn  very  scarce  in  this  locality. 

J.  G.  Waterston,  Fall  City, 


EAU  CLAIRE  COUNTY. 
Not  much  seed  corn  here. 


Chas.  Yanderburg,  Augusta. 


I think  there  is  about  half  a supply  of  last  year’s  crop. 

J.  F.  Ellis,  Eau  Claire. 

FOND  DU  LaC  COUNTY. 


Pretty  well  supplied  with  seed  corn. 
Good  supply  of  seed  corn  in  this  section. 


H.  D.  Hitt,  Oakfield. 


Geo.  C.  Hill,  Rosendale. 

Do  not  think  there  is  a sufficient  supply  in  this  part  of  the  county. 

H.  C.  Sherwin,  Ladoga. 


10 


GRANT  COUNTY. 

The  prospects  of  a scarcity,  with  consequent  high  prices,  induced  most 
farmers  to  put  up  a surplus.  H . S.  Keene,  Lancaster. 


GREEN  COUNTY. 

Think  there  is  plenty  of  seed.  One  of  my  neighbors  has  100  bushels  for 
sale,  I understand.  N.  N.  Palmer,  Brodhead. 

Plenty  of  seed  corn. 

C.  H.  Baxter,  Monticello. 


GREEN  LAKE  COUNTY. 

There  is  more  seed  corn  in  this  neighborhood  than  we  want. 

H.  E.  Umbreit,  Salemville. 


I presume  corn  enough  has  been  secured. 
There  wdll  be  seed  enough  here. 


H.  Floyd,  Berlin. 
W.  M.  Chapel,  Kingston. 


IOWA  COUNTY. 

I believe  more  seed  corn  was  saved  last  fall  than  ever  before. 

Herman  Grunow,  Mifflin. 


Plenty  of  seed  saved  in  this  section. 

James  Spensley,  Mineral  Point. 

In  my  opinion  enough  corn  for  seed  in  our  neighborhood. 

James  L.  Jones,  Helena, 

Very  little  if  any  sound  seed  saved  here. 

Thomas  Convey,  Ridgeway. 


JACKSON  COUNTY. 

No  surplus.  Miles  Lamb,  Melrose. 

Plenty  of  seed  corn  but  am  afraid  it  will  not  grow. 

Gardiner  Morrison,  North  Bend. 

Seed  corn  very  scarce  in  our  locality. 

Jacob  Hanson,  Black  River  Falls, 


JEFFERSON  COUNTY. 


Think  there  is  about  three-fourths  enough  to  supply  this  community. 

E.  Crump,  Lake  Mills. 


Think  we  will  have  enough,  if  good. 


Think  there  is  plenty  here. 


Y.  Lowe,  Palmyra. 
J.  A.  Clark,  Waterloo. 


JUNEAU  COUNTY. 

I have  not  as  yet  met  with  any  one  that  has  any  seed  corn  of  any  kind. 

Thos.  Wilcock,  Elroy. 

Seed  corn  will  be  scarce.  I.  N.  Grant,  Union  Centre. 


11 


KENOSHA  COUNTY. 


A scarce  article  in  this  neighborhood. 

D.  J.  Vincent,  Wilmot. 

Enough  to  supply  home  demand. 

R.  F.  Roberts,  Woodworth. 

LA  CROSSE  COUNTY. 

Good  seed  corn  is  scarce. 

J.  M.  Brooks,  Bangor. 

Sufficient  for  home  use  here. 

A.  J.  Phillips,  West  Salem. 

Seed  enough  in  our  locality. 

F.  Sprain,  Barre  Mills. 

We  think  good  seed  corn  will  be  scarce. 

J.  J.  Johnson,  La  Crosse. 

LA  FAYETTE  COUNTY. 

Think  this  part  of  the  county  safe  on  account  of  having  been  badly  used 
by  Nebraska  seed  last  season.  I hear  of  one  man  near  Darlington  saving 
100  bushels  for  seed.  T.  H.  Sheldon,  Darlington . 

Think  there  is  plenty  of  seed  corn  in  this  neighborhood. 

Wm.  Buckingham,  Yellowstone. 

I think  there  is  plenty  of  seed  corn  in  this  part  of  the  county. 

J.  Van  Matre,  Fayette. 

MARATHON  COUNTY. 

No  corn  raised  in  this  town  to  my  knowledge  worth  harvesting. 

Henry  Wilde,  Rib  Falls. 

Have  inquired  all  over  the  county  and  found  nothing. 

Fred  Schubring,  Wausau. 


MARQUETTE  COUNTY. 

I think  there  is  sufficient  for  local  consumption. 

H.  Bartels,  Moundville. 

MILWAUKEE  COUNTY. 


Considerable  saved  about  here. 

L.  Rawson,  Oak  Creek. 

Plenty  in  this  locality  if  it  grows. 

J.  A.  Thomas,  Good  Hope. 

MONROE  COUNTY. 

Enough  seed  in  this  locality. 

M.  Robertson,  Tomah. 

Do  not  think  there  is  more  than  one  half  enough  seed. 

G.  H.  Lawrence,  Kendalls. 

Not  enough  dent  to  plant  one-half  the  usual  amount;  considerable  flint 
saved.  Samuel  C.  Smith,  Sparta. 


12 


OCONTO  COUNTY. 


But  little  corn  grown  in  this  town,  and  mine  the  only  piece  that  got  ripe. 
Just  seed  enough  for  my  own  use.  E.  L.  Widger,  Lena. 

OUTAGAMIE  COUNTY. 

Think  the  supply  of  seed  will  not  more  than  half  meet  the  demand. 

B.  S.  Wolcott,  Medina. 

Do  not  think  there  is  a supply  in  this  county . 

H.  J.  Diener,  Stephenville. 


OZAUKEE  COUNTY. 

Quite  a scarcity  of  seed  in  this  locality. 


Half  the  farmers  have  no  seed. 


P.  F.  Kaehler,  Cedarburg. 


Andrew  Zaun,  Thiensville. 

PIERCE  COUNTY. 


Not  one-half  enough  seed  corn. 

Not  enough  seed  corn  of  any  description. 


C.  W.  Wright,  Prescott. 
A.  W.  Ogleyie,  Ono. 


Considerable  seed  corn  around  us.  One  man  has  100  bushels,  another 
15,  and  so  on.  At  the  same  time,  some  localities  near  us  have  none. 

R.  J.  Wilcox,  River  Falls. 


PORTAGE  COUNTY. 

Seed  corn  is  scarce  around  here. 

E.  P.  Kalsted,  New  Hope. 

Haven’t  much  seed  corn  in  this  section;  an  occasional  man  has  good  corn 
and  considerable  of  it.  D.  E.  Frost,  Almond. 

RACINE  COUNTY. 

Do  not  think  one-lialf  the  farmers  in  this  vicinity  raised  their  seed  corn. 

C.  K.  Stearns,  Caledonia. 

More  seed  than  wanted,  quite  a few  parties  having  from  ten  to  one  hun- 
dred bushels  for  sale.  D.  Utter,  Caldwell. 


RICHLAND  COUNTY. 
Not  much  seed  for  sale  here. 


Think  our  county  is  supplied  with  good  seed. 


J.  Q.  Black,  Lone  Rock. 
J.  T.  Barnes,  Boaz. 


Generally,  seed  will  be  poor  in  this  section. 


M.  A.  Gill,  Viola. 


Plenty  of  good  seed  for  home  demand. 


H.  F.  Coates,  Excelsior, 


13 


ROCK  COUNTY. 

Think  there  will  be  enough  to  supply  all  this  neighborhood. 

Andrew  Barlass,  Emerald  Grove . 

Am  of  the  opinion  that  good  seed  corn  cannot  be  very  plenty. 

D.  G.  Cheever,  Clinton. 

Think  there  is  a shortage  of  seed  corn  in  this  vicinity. 

J.  G.  Carr,  Milton  Junction. 

ST.  CROIX  COUNTY. 

A scarcity  of  seed  corn  in  this  county . 

G.  H.  Giffin,  Warren, t 

It  will  take*  a great  many  bushels  to  supply  this  county,  and  do  not  know 
where  it  will  come  from . L.  O.  Foster,  Warren. 

SAUK  COUNTY. 

If  seed  saved  proves  good,  think  this  locality  can  nearly  supply  itself. 

M.  E.  Seymour,  Reedsburg. 

Do  not  know  of  anyone  who  has  plenty  of  seed  corn  in  this  locality. 

Chas.  Pearson,  Ironton. 

Think  seed  corn  will  be  plenty  for  this  locality. 

F.  J.  Avery,  Prairie  du  Sac . 

SHAWANO  COUNTY. 

Have  no  corn  for  seed,  and  would  be  glad  to  know  where  I could  obtain 
some.  John  S.  Kloverdahl,  Wittenburg. 

SHEBOYGAN  COUNTY. 

In  my  opinion,  an  abundance  of  seed  corn  in  this  town  for  our  own  use, 
if  the  sample  sent  proves  ‘‘correct.”  S.  L.  Littlefield,  Plymouth. 

Seed  corn  is  scarce. 

W.  W.  Andrews,  Cascade. 

TREMPEALEAU  COUNTY. 

We  will  have  to  buy  all  our  seed  corn  from  Iowa  or  Illinois. 

L.  W.  Mellsness,  Chimney  Rock. 

Plenty  of  seed  corn  for  local  use  and  some  more,  if  it  proves  good.  My 
boys  saved  fifty  bushels  like  sample  sent . Some  of  my  neighbors  have 
saved  as  much,  some  more.  Joshua  Rhodes,  Trempealeau. 

VERNON  COUNTY. 

A lack  of  good  seed.  W.  Frazier,  Esofea. 

No  more  than  there  is  needed  here. 

A.  D.  McDowell,  De  Soto. 
Think  seed  corn  will  be  scarce.  Wm.  Cox,  Yiroqua. 

WALWORTH  COUNTY. 

Seed  in  this  vicinity  very  scarce. 


J.  E.  Seaver,  Darien. 


14 


Most  farmers  in  this  vicinity  have  saved  their  seed  and  will  have  a 
surplus.  Seymour  Brooks,  East  Troy. 

WASHINGTON  COUNTY. 

Do  not  believe  there  is  much  seed  around  here. 

F.  yon  Rhienen,  South  Germantown. 

WAUKESHA  COUNTY. 


Enquiry  leads  me  to  conclude  that  we  have  not  more  than  three-fourths 
enough  seed,  provided  the  acreage  is  not  decreased. 

W.  W.  Brown,  Merton. 

Abundance  of  corn  for  seed  in  this  vicinity. 

W.  H.  Hardy,  Genesee. 

WAUPACA  COUNTY. 


The  general  opinion  is  that  seed  corn  will  be  scarce . 

A.  W.  Bennett,  Weyawega. 

Very  little  seed  corn  in  this  vicinity. 

A.  H.  Chandler,  Waupaca. 

Not  enough  seed  in  our  neighborhood. 

Wm.  M.  Hamilton,  Evanswood. 

WINNEBAGO  COUNTY. 

More  seed  saved  than  usual.  H.  W.  Nicholson,  Eureka. 

Very  little  good  seed  in  this  locality. 

A.  C.  Austin,  Oshkosh. 

Very  little  seed  corn  in  Winnebago  county,  and  poor  at  that. 

Andrew  Anderson,  Neenah. 
About  enough  for  the  use  of  the  community. 

R.  R.  Lambert,  Vinland. 

WOOD  COUNTY. 

Seed  corn  very  scarce.  William  Gaulke,  Grand  Rapids. 

Only  one-half  the  farmers  have  any  seed  at  all  and  that  similar  to  the 
sample  sent.  S.  L.  Nason,  Nasonville. 


15 


CONCLUSION. 

From  a study  of  this  subject  we  are  led  to  make  the  fol- 
lowing statements: 

In  some  sections  of  the  state  there  is  an  abundance  of 
seed  corn,  while  in  others  there  is  a great  dearth.  Much  of 
the  seed,  especially  in  the  northern  part  of  the  state,  is 
of  low  germinating  power,  if  not  worthless. 

Those  having  extra  seed,  as  well  as  those  wanting,  should 
advertise  at  once.  The  local  press,  as  well  as  the  agricultu- 
ral papers,  should  be  used  for  this  purpose.  Parties  with 
seed  for  sale,  by  consulting  the  reports  from  correspondents, 
can  learn  which  districts  lack  seed,  and  from  the  Blue 
Book  for  1883  can  ascertain  the  name  and  address  of  all 
newspapers  published  in  the  state.  Reliable  seed  dealers  in 
our  state  and  at  Chicago,  have  seed  for  sale;  their  catalogues 
should  be  consulted.  Farmers  should  club  together  and  get 
seed  in  bulk.  The  Experiment  Station  will  aid  parties  with 
seed  to  sell  or  those  wishing  seed. 

Costly  experience  last  season  taught  our  farmers  that  Ne- 
braska and  Kansas  grown  seed  is  unfit  for  our  state.  This 
year  the  mistake  will  be  repeated  by  those  buying  seed  from 
Ohio  and  Pennsylvania.  There  are  parties  trying  to  place 
thousands  of  bushels  of  the  Learning  variety  of  dent  corn 
in  our  state,  claiming  that  it  will  ripen  in  ninety  days.  At 
the  Experiment  Station,  last  season,  the  Learning  corn  was 
tested  and  found  wholly  unfit  for  Wisconsin,  where  it  will 
not  ripen  short  of  one  hundred  and  ten  or  twenty  days. 
Varieties  marked  “ extra  early/’  from  central  Ohio,  were 
equally  slow  in  maturing.  If  we  must  go  out  of  the  state 
for  seed  we  should  secure  that  grown  on  a parallel  north  of 
us  rather  than  south.  Our  best  foreign  seed  will  come  from 
Minnesota  or  northern  Michigan,  and  possibly  New  York  or 
V ermont  may  supply  some  of  fair  quality.  The  statements 
of  those  having  seed  to  sell  who  have  had  no  experience 
with  growing  corn  in  our  state,  are  worthless  in  this  matter, 
and  should  not  be  relied  upon. 

All  seed  should  be  tested  at  once,  and  again  just  before 


16 


planting.  At  the  Experiment  Station,  seed  which  grew  per- 
fectly about  January  first  now  shows  fifty  per  cent,  as  unfit 
to  plant. 

As  the  germs  of  much  of  the  seed  corn  are  weakened  by 
immaturity  it  would  be  well  to  delay  planting  until  the  soil 
is  warm  and  weather  settled,  as  cold  weather  and  wet  cold 
soil  may  kill  much  of  the  corn  that  might  grow  under  more 
favorable  conditions. 

Much  of  the  corn  grown  this  season  will  at  best  be  but 
partly  satisfactory  to  the  farmer;  to  be  better  ready  for 
another  season  small  lots  of  several  varieties  may  be  planted 
in  addition  to  the  main  crop  and  from  the  best  of  these  next 
fall,  seed  for  the  following  season  can  be  gathered. 

Many  of  our  cribs  are  already  empty;  before  midsummer 
the  want  of  corn  will  be  most  keenly  felt.  To  shorten  the 
period  of  want  a few  acres  of  early  flint  corn  may  be  grown 
which  will  be  ready  for  hogs  by  the  middle  of  August.  At 
the  north,  when  the  season  is  short,  peas  may  be  sown  for 
early  feed. 

The  cost  of  seed  corn,  even  at  the  highest  prices  charged,  is 
not  excessive  as  compared  with  that  of  other  grains.  At 
five  dollars  per  bushel  the  corn  required  to  plant  an  acre 
costs  no  more  than  the  oats  at  ordinary  prices  necessary  to 
seed  an  acre,  and  is  cheaper  than  wheat. 

In  conclusion  it  is  urged  that  our  farmers  by  all  possible 
means  labor  to  secure  an  enlarged  acreage  of  corn  this 
season  by  planting  good  seed,  securing  a good  stand  and 
giving  thorough  tillage,  that  when  fall  omes  the  cribs  so 
long  empty  will  again  be  filled  to  overflowing. 


UNIVERSITY  OF  WISCONSIN. 


Agricultural  Experiment  Station. 


BULLETIN  NO.  3. 


COMPOSITION  AND  DIGESTIBILITY  OF  FODDERS. 


MADISON.  WISCONSIN,  JUNE,  1 8S4. 


Democrat  Printing  Company,  Statu  Printers. 


UNIVERSITY  OF  WISCONSIN 


Agricultural  Experiment  Station. 


COMMITTEE  OF  BOARD  OF  REGENTS  IN  CHARGE 
OF  THE  STATION. 


Hon.  HIRAM  SMITH,  Chairman, 
Hon.  H.  D.  HITT, 

Hon.  C.  H.  WILLIAMS,  - 


Sheboygan  Falls. 

Oakfield. 

Baraboo. 


OFFICERS  OF  THE  STATION. 


W.  A.  HENRY,  - 
WM.  TRELEASE, 
H.  P.  ARMSBY, 


Prof,  of  Agriculture. 

Prof,  of  Botany  and  Horticulture  . 
Prof,  of  Agricultural  Chemistry. 


LESLIE  ADAMS,  - Foreman  of  Farm. 


Office, 

Chemical  Laboratory, 
Botanical  Laboratory, 


43  South  Hall. 
47  South  Hall. 
20  South  Hall. 


Experimental  fields  and  barn  on  the  University  farm . 


COMPOSITION  AND  DIGESTIBILITY  OF  FODDERS. 


The  experiments  described  in  this  bulletin  were  und  er- 
taken  with  two  objects  in  view:  first,  to  learn  the  chemical 
composition  and  the  amounts  of  digestible  matters  contained 
in  certain  fodders  which  it  was  proposed  to  use  in  feeding 
experiments;  second,  to  contribute  something,  incidentally, 
to  our  knowledge  of  the  digestibility  of  the  fodders  in 
common  use  in  Wisconsin. 

The  methods  of  cattle-feeding  worked  out  by  the  scien- 
tific experiments  of  the  last  twenty  years  demand  as  their 
basis,  a knowledge  of  the  average  composition  and  digest- 
ibility of  the  fodders  in  common  use.  Thanks  to  the  labors 
of  American  experiment  stations,  we  have  now  a very  fair 
knowledge  of  the  composition  of  American  feeding- 
stuffs,  but  for  all  estimates  of  their  digestibility  we  have 
been  obliged  to  take  the  results  of  experiments  on 
fodders  grown  in  foreign  countries,  no  determinations  of  the 
digestibility  of  any  of  our  fodders  having  been  made,  with 
the  exception  of  a single  experiment  upon  corn  ensilage : 
The  following  experiments  are  but  a beginning  in  this  di- 
rection. It  is  to  be  hoped  that  their  number  may  be  rap- 
idly multiplied. 

As  it  was  desired  to  ascertain  by  these  trials  the  average 
quality  of  a considerable  amount  of  fodder,  particular  at- 
tention was  paid  to  obtaining  fair  samples.  This  is  com- 
paratively easy  in  the  case  of  concentrated  fodders,  like 
grain  or  meal,  but  to  obtain  a fair  average  sample  of  two  or 
three  tons  of  hay  is  a more  difficult  matter.  The  following 
method  was  adopted,  and  though  laborious,  it  answered  its 
purpose  excellently. 

The  material  (clover  hay),  to  the  amount  of  about  three 
and  one-half  tons,  was  run  through  a Belle  City  feed  cutter, 
using  nominally  a half  inch  cut,  although  most  of  the  hay 
was  not  actually  cut  as  fine  as  that.  The  cut  hay  was 
spread  out  on  a tight  floor  and  thoroughly  mixed,  being 


6 


handled  entirely  with  shovels.  From  the  mixed  mass  two 
portions,  of  about  500  pounds  each,  were  taken  and  stored 
separately  in  bins,  to  be  used  in  the  digestion  experiments, 
while  the  remainder  of  the  hay  was  reserved  for  subsequent 
feeding  trials.  From  each  of  the  two  portions  just  spoken  of, 
two  analysis  samples  were  taken  during  the  digestion  experi- 
ments, so  that  we  possess  analyses  of  four  samples  of  this  hay. 
In  the  subjoined  table  these  are  numbered  1,  2,  3 and  4,  and 
their  close  agreement  attests  the  accuracy  of  the  sampling. 


Composition  of  Fodders. 


Stat’n 

No. 

Water 

Ash. 

Pro- 

tein. 

1 Crude 
Fiber 

1 

N.free 

Ex- 

tract. 

Fat. 

Per 

Per 

Per 

Per 

Per 

Per 

SAMPLES  AS  TAKEN. 

cent. 

cent. 

cent. 

cent. 

cent. 

cent. 

1 

Clover  Hay 

16.13 

4.29 

11.31 

27.12 

39.58 

1.57 

2 

Clover  Hay 

16.41 

4.17 

10.88 

27.58 

39.49 

1.47 

3 

Clover  Hay 

15.41 

3.88 

11.61 

27.27 

40.04 

1.79 

4 

Clover  Hay 

16.34 

4.06 

11.39 

27.51 

39.22 

1.48 

5 

Malt  Sprouts 

11.97 

3.75 

21.00 

11.99 

50.00 

1.29 

10 

Cotton -seed  Meal 

, 7.59 

6.48! 

44.00 

2.77 

25.72 

13.44 

CALCULATED  WATER-FREE. 

1 

Clover  Hay 

5.11 

13.49 

32.84 

47.19 

1.87 

2 

Clover  Hay 

4.99 

13.02 

32.99 

47.24 

1.76 

3 

Clover  Hay 

4.59 

13.73 

32.24 

47.32 

2.12 

4 

Clover  Hay 

4.85 

13.61 

32.88 

46.89 

1.77 

5 

Malt  Sprouts 

4.26 

23.86 

18.63 

56.79 

1.46 

10  | 

1 

Cotton-seed  Meal 

7.01 

47.61 

3.00 

27.83 

14.55 

Some  explanation  of  the  terms  used  may  be  helpful.  All 
fodders  contain  in  their  natural  state  more  or  less  water, 
even  when  apparently  dry.  Its  amount  is  determined  by 
drying  the  fodder  at  a temperature  slightly  above  that  of 
boiling  water  until  it  ceases  to  lose  weight.  Ash  signifies 
the  incombustible  portion  of  the  fodder,  which  is  left  when 
the  “ organic  matter  ” is  burned  off.  Protein  includes  a 
number  of  related  bodies,  all  containing  about  16  per  cent, 
of  the  element  nitrogen,  and  more  or  less  resembling  white 
of  egg  or  lean  meat  in  their  properties.  Crude  fiber,  or  woody 
fiber,  forms  the  skeleton,  so  to  speak,  of  plants.  Its  diges- 
tible portion  is  cellulose,  seen  in  a nearly  pure  state 
in  the  fibers  of  cotton  and  in  paper  pulp.  Fat  means 


r 


the  matter  extracted  from  the  fodders  by  ether.  In  the 
grains  and  their  bye-products  it  is  nearly  all  pure  fat, 
but  in  hay,  etc,,  it  consists  of  a mixture  of  fat  with  various 
other  substances.  JSTitrogen-free  extract  signifies  what  re- 
mains of  the  fodder  after  the  other  ingredients  have  been 
determined.  In  most  of  the  concentrated  fodders  it  consists 
chiefly  of  starch  or  related  substances,  but  in  the  coarse  fod- 
ders it  is  a mixture  of  substances  whose  separate  determina- 
tion is  not  yet  possible.  That  portion  of  it  which  is 
digestible,  however,  has  the  composition  of  starch. 


Digestibility  of  Fodders. 

Of  the  fodder  which  an  animal  eats,  a portion  is  converted 
into  soluble  compounds  in  the  mouth,  stomach  and  intes- 
tines, and  taken  into  the  body:  it  is  digested.  The  remainder 
of  the  food,  that  portion  which  the  digestive  juices  can- 
not dissolve,  is  finally  excreted  from  the  body,  mixed  with 
small  remnants  of  the  digestive  fluids  and  intestinal  mucus, 
and  constitutes  the  dung. 

If,  now,  we  determine  j ust  how  much  food  an  animal  eats 
and  just  how  much  of  it  is  excreted  in  the  dung,  by  subtract- 
ing the  latter  amount  from  the  former  we  shall  ascertain 
how  much  of  the  food  has  been  digested.  Furthermore,  if 
we  determine  the  amount  of  any  particular  ingredient,  as 
protein,  in  fodder  and  excrement,  the  difference  will  show 
how  much  of  that  one  ingredient  has  been  digested. 

Such  determinations  have  been  made  on  the  clover  hay, 
malt  sprouts,  and  cotton-seed  meal  whose  analyses  are  given 
above.  The  method  is  that  which  has  been  worked  out  by 
years  of  experience  in  the  German  experiment  stations.  At- 
tention to  many  details  is  required,  some  of  which  are  men- 
tioned below,  but  where  all  needful  precautions  are  observed 
the  results  are  very  accurate. 

Two  grade  Cotswold  wethers,  about  three  years  old  and 
weighing  about  87  pounds  each,  were  used  for  the  experi- 
ments. The  animals  stood  in  stanchions,  each  in  a separate 
stall  specially  built  for  the  purpose.  They  were  fed  from 
zinc-lined  feed  boxes,  which  could  be  removed  to  be  filled, 


8 


and  which  were  surmounted  by  a funnel-shaped  structure 
of  boards,  which  effectually  prevented  any  scattering  of  the 
fodder.  Each  day’s  fodder  was  weighed  out  separately  for 
from  six  to  ten  days  in  advance,  the  hay  in  cloth  bags,  the 
bye-fodder  in  glass  fruit  jars,  and  samples  were  taken  at 
the  same  time  for  the  determination  of  moisture  or  for  com- 
plete analysis.  The  dung  was  collected  in  rubber-lined 
cloth  bags,  attached  to  the  hind  quarters  of  the  animals  by 
means  of  a light  harness.  The  bags  were  emptied  every 
24  hours  , the  dung  weighed,  and  a sample  preserved  for  an- 
alysis. 

Since  the  process  of  digestion  in  ruminants  is  a slow  one, 
occupying  two  or  three  days,  it  is  necessary  in  digestion  ex- 
periments to  observe  a preliminary  feeding,  during  which 
the  animal  receives  the  fodder  to  be  tested  in  exactly  the 
same  quantity  as  during  the  actual  experiment.  In  this 
way,  remnants  of  the  previous  fodder  are  removed  from 
the  digestive  organs,  and  the  dung  made  to  correspond  to 
the  fodder  to  be  tested.  Moreover,  since  the  excretion  of  dung 
is  somewhat  irregular,  it  is  necessary  to  extend  the  trial  over 
several  days  and  take  the  average  excretion  for  one  day  as 
the  basis  of  calculation.  In  these  experiments  the  prelimin- 
ary feeding  and  the  actual  trial  each  lasted  six  days,  in  most 
cases.  In  what  follows,  the  weights  of  fodder,  dung,  etc.,  are 
given,  as  they  were  originally  taken,  according  to  the  metric 
system.  This  system  is  most  convenient  for  scientific  use* 
and  since  the  results  of  these  experiments  are  comparative 
only,  the  object  being  to  find  out  what  per  cent,  of  the  fodder 
was  digested,  their  use  can  occasion  no  practical  difficulty. 
In  reporting  experiments  whose  results  are  directly  appli- 
cable in  farm  practice  the  Station  will  use  the  ordinary 
weights  and  measures,  but  for  the  simple  calculation  of  per- 
centages it  makes  no  difference  what  unit  of  weight  is 
adopted.  We  have  therefore  not  undertaken  in  this  case 
a laborious  recalculation  of  the  weights  which  would  not 
alter  the  final  result  in  the  least;  51.7  per  cent  of  the  dry 
matter  of  the  hay  would  still  be  digestible,  whether  the 
weight  of  the  hay  was  expressed  in  pounds  or  grammes. 


9 


PERIOD  I. 

During  the  first  period,  each  sheep  received  per  day  700 
grammes  of  hay  from  one  of  the  500  pound  samples  men- 
tioned on  page  6,  with  water  ad  libitum  twice  per  day. 
This  amount  of  hay  was  eaten  clean.  The  analyses  on 
page  6 show  the  composition  of  the  hay  used  for  the 
preliminary  feeding  (No.  1)  and  the  actual  experiment  (No.  2) 
The  water-free  dung  had  the  following  composition: 


1 ' 1 

Ash. 

1 

Protein. 

Crude  | 
Fibre. 

Nitrogen-  1 
free  ex-  1 Fat. 
tract. 

Per  cent. 

Per  cent. 

Per  cent. 

Per  cent.  Per  cent. 

Sheep  1 

1 6.71 

j 

14.38 

35.19 

41.38  2.72 

Sheep  2 

| «•« 

1 

14.00 

35.31 

41.51  2.23 

In  the  following  table  are  calculated  from  these  data  the 
amounts  of  each  ingredient  of  the  hay  eaten,  excreted  and 
digested  per  day,  in  the  average  of  six  days: 

Digestibility. 


o 

hS 
Q | 

Organic 

matter. 

Protein. 

Crude 

fiber. 

Nitrogen - 
free  ex- 
tract. 

Sheep  1. 

Grms. 

Grms. 

Grms. 

Grms. 

Grms. 

Grms. 

Fed,  700  grms.  hay 

586.1 

556.6 

77.7 

191.5 

276.7 

10.7 

Excreted,  610.6  grms.  dung 

288.6 

269.2 

40.4 

101.5 

119.4 

7.9 

Digested 

297.5 

287.4 

37.3 

90.0 

157.3 

2.8 

Per  cent,  digested 

50.8 

51.6 

48.0 

47.1 

56.8 

26.2 

Sheep  2. 

Fed,  700  grms.  hay 

586.1 

556.6 

77.7 

191.5 

276.7 

10.7 

Excreted,  640.3  grms.  dung 

286.3 

267.5 

41.2 

101.1 

118.8 

6.4 

Digested 

299.8 

289.1 

36.5 

90.4 

157.9 

4.3 

Per  cent,  digested 

51.1 

51.9 

47.0 

47.2 

57.1 

40.2 

10 


By  “ per  cent,  digested  ” is  meant  the  per  cent,  of  the  total 
amount  of  the  ingredient  present.  Thus,  Sheep  1 digested 
48  per  cent.,  or  a little  less  than  one-half,  of  the  77.7  grms  of 
protein  which  he  ate  in  his  hay. 

PERIOD  II. 

In  the  second  period.  Sheep  1 received  700  grms.  and  Sheep 
2 but  650  grms.  of  hay  from  the  second  of  the  two  500  pound 
samples.  (Analyses  No.  3 and  No.  4,  p.  6.)  Here  follow 
the  further  data  for  this  period. 


Composition  of  Dung , Water-free. 


Ash. 

Protein. 

Crude 

Fiber. 

Nitrog’n 
free  ext. 

Fat. 

Per  ct. 

Per  ct. 

Per  ct. 

Per  ct. 

Per  ct . 

Sheep  1 

6.71 

13.99 

35.70 

41.24 

2.36 

Sheep  2 

6.47 

1 

14.04 

35.65 

41.68 

2.16 

Digestibility. 


Dry  | 
matter. 

Organic 

matter. 

Protein. 

Crude 

fiber. 

Nitrogen- 
free  ex- 
tract. 

Is 

Grms. 

Grms. 

Grms.  j 

l 1 

[Grms. 

Grms. 

IGrms. 

Sheep  1. 

! 

j 

Fed,  700  grms.  hay 

588.9 

561.1 

80.51 

191.7 

277.4 

! 11.5 

Excreted,  614.3  grms.  dung 

287.0 

267.7 

40.2 

102.4 

118.3 

6.8 

Digested 

301.9 

293.4 

40.3 

89.3 

159.1 

4.7 

Per  cent,  digested 

51.3 

52.3 

50.1 

46.6 

57.4 

40.9 

Sheep  2. 

Fed,  650  grms.  hay 

546.8; 

521.0 

74.7 

178.0 

257.7 

10.6 

Excreted,  534.8  grms.  dung 

254.4! 

237.9 

35.7 

90.7 

106.0 

5.5 

Digested 

292.4! 

283.1 

39.0 

87.3 

151.7 

5.1 

Per  cent,  digested 

53.5| 

54.3 

52.2 

49.0 

58.9 

48.1 

11 


In  the  following  table  are  brought  together  for  more  con- 
venient comparison  the  results  of  Periods  I and  II. 


Percentage  Digestibility  of  Clover  Hay. 


Dry 

matter. 

Organic 

matter. 

| Protein . 

1 

Crude 

fiber. 

Nitrogen- 
free  ex- 
tract. 

Fat. 

Per 

Per 

Per 

Per 

Per 

Per 

Sheep  1. 

cent. 

cent. 

cent. 

cent. 

cent.  | 

cent. 

Period  I 

50.8 

51.6 

48.0 

47.1 

56.8 

26.2 

Period  II 

51.3 

52.3 

50.1 

46.6 

57.4 

40.9 

Average 

51.1 

52.0 

49.1 

46.9 

57.1 

40.9* 

Sheep  2. 

Period  I 

51.1 

51.9 

47.0 

47.2 

57.1 

40.2 

Period  II 

53.5 

54.3 

52.2 

j 49.0 

58.9 

48.1 

Average 

52.3 

53.1 

49.6 

48.1 

58.0 

44.2 

Average  of  all 

51.7 

52.6 

49.4 

47.5 

57.6 

42.6* 

Average  of  German  determinations 

59.0 

55.0 

44.0 

69.0 

j 56.0 

* Excluding  the  result  of  Period  I as  probably  erroneous. 


The  results  on  the  two  animals  and  for  the  two  periods 
agree  as  closely  as  is  to  be  expected  in  experiments  of  this 
sort.  It  will  be  noticed  that  the  average  digestibility  of  this 
sample  of  clover  hay  is  somewhat  less  than  that  found  by 
German  investigators  for  their  average  clover  hay,  particu- 
larly as  regards  protein  and  fat,  while  the  crude  fiber  is 
somewhat  more  digestible  in  our  hay. 

The  differences  are  much  less,  however,  than  were  ob- 
served between  the  different  samples  from  which  the  Ger- 
man average  was  calculated.  Two  of  the  latter  experi- 
ments, however,  made  with  sheep  upon  clover  hay  very 
similar  to  ours  in  chemical  composition,  gave  decidedly 
higher  results  for  every  ingredient  except  crude  fiber. 

PERIOD  III. 

In  a third  period,  the  digestibility  of  malt  sprouts  was 
the  subject  of  experiment.  It  being  impracticable  to  feed 
only  concentrated  fodder  to  such  animals  as  sheep,  the 
digestibility  of  a fodder  like  malt  sprouts  is  determined  by 


12 


feeding  it  with  a coarse  fodder  of  known  digestibility,  in  this 
case  with  the  clover  hay  already  experimented  upon.  Un- 
fortunately, Sheep  No.  2 had  to  be  excluded  from  this  experi- 
ment on  account  of  a sore  foot  in  consequence  of  which  he 
ate  poorly.  Sheep  No.  1 received  per  day  600  grms.  of  the 
clover  hay  and  175  grms.  of  malt  sprouts.  The  latter  were 
soaked  in  hot  water  and  fed  while  still  warm.  In  this  and 
the  subsequent  period  the  average  of  analyses  1,  2,  3 and  4 
is  taken  to  represent  the  composition  of  the  hay.  Its  digest- 
ibility is  assumed  to  be  the  average  of  that  found  in  Periods 
I.  and  II.  for  the  animal  under  consideration. 


Composition  of  Dung,  Water-free. 


go 

| Organic 
matter. 

Crude 

fiber. 

Nitrogen- 
free  ex- 
tract. 

Fat. 

Per 

Per 

Per 

Per  Per 

cent. 

cent. 

cent,  j 

cent.  I cent. 

Sheep  1 

6.28 

14.07 

84.09 

43.70  1.86 

Digestibility. 


Dry  matter. 

Organic 

matter. 

Protein. 

Crude  fiber. 

Nitrogen- 
free  e x- 
tract. 

Fat. 

Grms. 

Grms. 

Grms. 

Grms. 

Grms. 

Grms. 

Fed,  600  grms.  hay 

500.9 

476.4 

67.4 

163.3 

236.3 

| 9.4 

Fed,  175  grms.  malt  sprouts 

154.1 

147.5 

36.8 

21.0 

87.5 

2.2 

Total 

655.0 

623.9 

104.2 

184.3 

323.8 

11.6 

Excreted,  681.1  grms.  dung 

295.2 

276.6 

41.5 

100.6 

129.0 

5.5 

Digested,  total 

359.8 

347.3 

62.7 

83.7 

194.8 

6.1 

Digested  from  hay 

256.0 

247.7 

33.1 

76.6 

134.8 

3.8 

Digested  from  malt  sprouts 

103.8 

99.6 

29.6 

7.1 

60.0 

2.3 

Per  cent,  digested 

0 7 . 4 

07.5 

SO.  3 

33.8 

68.6 

100 

No  previous  determinations  of  the  digestibility  of  malt 
sprouts  have  been  made,  so  far  as  we  are  aware. 


13 


PERIOD  IY. 

In  this  period,  cotton-seed  meal  was  tested  in  the  same 
way  as  the  malt  sprouts  in  Period  III.  Each  sheep  received 
per  day  700  grms.  of  hay  and  175  grms.  of  cotton-seed  meal. 


Composition  of  Dung,  Water-Free. 


Ash. 

Protein. 

Crude 

Fiber. 

Nitrogen- 

free 

extract. 

Fat. 

Per  cent. 

Per  cent. 

Per  cent. 

Per  cent. 

Per  cent. 

Sheep  1 

6.44 

15.31 

34.57 

41.87 

1.81 

Sheep  2 

6.35 

15.72 

33.98 

42.15 

1.80 

I 

Digestibility. 


Dry  matter. 

1 

Organic 

matter. 

p 

‘<5 

2 

Ph 

Crude  fiber. 

Nitrogen- 

free 

1 extract. 

Fat. 

Sheep  1. 

Grms. 

Grms. 

Grms. 

Grms. 

Grms. 

Grms. 

Fed,  700  grms.  hay 

588.6 

559.8 

79.2 

191.9 

277.6 

11.1 

Fed,  175  grms.  cotton-seed  meal. . 

161.7 

150.4 

77.0 

4.9 

45.0 

23.5 

Fed,  total 

750.3 

710.2 

156.2 

196.8 

322.6 

34.6 

Excreted,  814.6  grms.  dung 

316.6 

296.2 

48.5 

109.4 

132.6 

5.7 

Digested,  total 

433.7 

414.0 

107.7 

87.4 

190.0 

28.9 

Digested  from  hay 

300.8 

291.0 

38.9 

90.0 

158.3 

4.5 

Digested  from  cotton-seed  meal. . . 

132.9 

123.0 

68.8 

0 

31.7 

24.4 

Per  cent,  digested j 

82.2 

81.8 

89.4 

0 

70.4 

100 

Sheep  2. 

Fed,  total ! 

750.3 

710.2 

156.2 

196.8 

322.6 

34.6 

Excreted,  788.8  grms.  dung 

311.9 

292.1 

49.0 

106.0 

131.5 

5.6 

Digested,  total 

438.4 

418.1 

107.2 

90.8 

191.1 

29.0 

Digested  from  hay 

307.8 

297.3 

39.3 

92.3 

160.8 

4.9 

Digested  from  cotton-seed  meal. . . 

130.6 

120.8 

67.9 

0 

30.3 

24.1 

Per  cent . digested 

80.8 

80.3 

88.2 

0 

67.3 

100 

14 


It  is  of  interest  to  compare  these  results  with  those  ob- 
tained by  Wolff  in  some  recent  experiments  f,  also  on  sheep: 

Digestibility  of  Cotton  Seed  Meal. 


Wolff’s  Ex- 
periments. 

Our  Exper- 
iments. 

Dry  matter 

| 74.0 

81.5 

Organic  matter 

80.4 

81.1 

Protein 

84.7 

88.8 

Crude  fiber 

0 

0 

Nitrogen-free  extract 

83.7 

68.9 

Fat 

87.6 

100.0 

1 Landwirthschaftliche  Versucha-Stationen.  27,215. 


In  the  following  table  the  amounts  of  digestible  matters 
present  in  these  three  fodders  have  been  calculated  in  per 
cents,  of  the  whole  fodder. 


Percentage  Composition. 

Digestible. 

Water. 

Ash. 

Protein. 

Crude  fiber. 

Nitrogen-free 
extract . 

Fat. 

Protein. 

Carbhy- 
drates.  * 

Fat. 

Clover  hay,  av- 
erage of  four 
analyses  . . . 

16.07 

4.10 

11.30 

27.37 

39.58 

1.58 

5.58 

35.80 

1 

0.67 

Malt  sprouts  . 

11.97 

3.75 

21.00 

11.99 

50.00 

1.29 

16.86 

38.35 

1.29 

Cotton-seed 

meal  

7.59 

| 6.48 

1 

o 

o 



2.77 

25.72 

13.44 

39.07 

17.67 

13.44 

* Digestible  crude  fibre  and  nitrogen-free  extract. 


In  this  bulletin  two  fodders,  viz.,  malt  sprouts  and  cotton- 
seed meal,  are  considered,  which  are  not  in  common  use 
among  the  farmers  of  this  state.  Malt  sprouts  consists  of  the 
small  sprouts  which  are  broken  off  from  malted  barley  when 


15 


it  is  dried,  mixed  with  more  or  less  chaff.  It  contains  a large 
proportion  of  the  valuable  protein,  and,  though  produced  in 
somewhat  limited  quantities,  is  sold  very  cheaply.  Cotton- 
seed meal  is  the  ground  residue  from  the  preparation  of  cot- 
ton-seed  oil.  It  resembles  old-process  linseed  meal  in  origin, 
composition  and  uses,  but  contains  considerably  more  pro- 
tein, being  the  richest  in  this  ingredient  of  any  of  our  com- 
mon fodders.  Both  these  feeding-stuffs  are  used  to  advan- 
tage in  other  localities,  but  we  reserve  further  comment  upon 
them  until  we  can  present  the  results  of  some  feeding  trials 
with  them  now  nearly  completed. 


UNIVERSITY  OF  WISCONSIN. 


Agricultural  Experiment  Station. 


BULLETIN  NO.  4. 


EXPERIMENTS  ON  MILK  PRODUCTION. 


MADISON.  WISCONSIN,  SEPTEMBER,  1884. 


Democrat  Printing  Company,  State  Printers. 


UNIVERSITY  OF  WISCONSIN. 


Agricultural  Experiment  Station. 


COMMITTEE  OF  BOARD  OF  REGENTS  IN  CHARGE 
OF  THE  STATION. 

Hon.  HIRAM  SMITH,  Chairman,  - - Sheboygan  Falls. 

Hon.  H.  D.  HITT,  - Oakfield. 

Hon.  C.  H.  WILLIAMS,  - - - Barboo. 


OFFICERS  OF  THE  STATION. 

W.  A.  HENRY,  Agr.  B.,  - - Prof,  of  Agriculture. 

WM.  TRELEASE,  D.  Sc.,  - - Prof,  of  Botany  and  Horticulture. 

H.  P.  ARMSBY,  Ph.  D.,  - - Prof,  of  Agricultural  Chemistry. 


F.  G.  SHORT,  - Chemist. 

LESLIE  H.  ADAMS,  - - - Foreman  of  Farm. 


Office,  16  Agricultural  Hall. 

Chemical  Laboratory,  - - 18  Agricultural  Hall. 

Botanical  Laboratory,  12  Agricultural  Hall. 

Museum,  - - - 11  Agricultural  Hall. 

Experimental  fields  and  barn  on  the  University  farm. 


EXPERIMENTS  ON  MILK  PRODUCTION. 


It  has  general^  been  held  to  be  an  established  fact  that, 
other  things  being  equal,  those  rations  are  most  favorable  to 
the  production  of  milk  which  contain  a liberal  proportion 
of  digestible  protein,  such  as  would  result  from  a judicious 
use  of  oil-meal,  cotton-seed  meal,  malt  sprouts  and  similar 
fodders.  The  experiments  here  described  were  undertaken 
for  the  purpose  of  further  testing  this  belief. 

Plan  of  Experiments. 

The  plan  of  the  experiments  was,  briefly,  the  following. 
In  a first  period,  the  cows  were  fed  clover  hay  and  corn 
meal  in  such  proportions  that  the  ration  was  relatively  rather 
deficient  in  protein,  containing  one  part  of  digestible  protein 
to  about  eight  parts  of  other  digestible  matters.  The 
amount  of  hay  fed  remained  the  same  throughout  the  ex- 
periments. In  a second  period,  part  of  the  corn  meal  was 
replaced  by  an  amount  of  cotton-seed  meal  containing  the 
same  amount  of  total  digestible  matters.  The  ration  as 
thus  altered  contained  about  one  part  of  digestible  protein 
to  five  and  one-half  parts  of  other  digestible  matters.  In  a 
third  period,  malt  sprouts  were  substituted  for  the  cotton- 
seed meal,  the  total  digestible  matters  and  the  proportion  of 
protein  remaining  the  same.  In  a fourth  period,  the  same 
ration  was  given  as  in  the  first. 

In  the  second  and  third  periods,  then,  the  cows  received  no 
more  food  than  in  the  first  and  fourth,  but  the  quality  of  the 
food  differed,  that  of  the  second  and  third  periods  contain- 
ing a decidedly  larger  proportion  of  protein.  If  the  food 
showed  any  influence  upon  the  yield  of  milk,  it  must  be  due 
to  this  difference  of  quality. 


Animals  and  Fodders  Used. 


Three  cows  were  used  for  the  experiments: 


Name. 

Breed. 

Age. 

Calved. 

Served. 

Jersey 

Hacker 

Yellow 

Grade  Jersey 

Native 

Grade  Jersey 

7 years 

9 years 

10  years 

Nov.  4,  1883 
Nov.  14,  1883 
Nov.  14,  1883 

Jan.  7,  1884. 
Jan.  7,  1884. 
Jan.  10,  1884. 

Jersey  and  Yellow  were  with  calf  during  the  experi- 
ments. 

The  fodders  used  were  those  whose  composition  and  di- 
gestibility formed  the  subject  of  Bulletin  No.  3 of  this 
Station,  together  with  corn  meal.  As  was  then  stated,  four 
separate  samples  of  the  clover  hay  were  analyzed  with 
closely  accordant  results,  thus  showing  that  the  sampling 
was  accurate.  The  composition  given  in  the  following 
table  is  the  average  of  those  four  analyses.  The  amounts 
of  digestible  matters  are  computed  from  the  results  of  the 
digestion  experiments  with  sheep  reported  in  Bulletin  No.  3 
except  in  the  case  of  the  corn  meal,  for  which  average  di- 
gestibility is  assumed.  The  clover  hay  was  nearly  pure  red 
clover,  and  of  good  quality.  The  malt-sprouts  and  cotton- 
seed meal  were  excellent  of  their  kind.  The  corn  meal  was 
from  Waushakum  (flint)  corn,  grown  on  the  University 
farm. 

Composition  of  Fodders  — Water-Free. 


| Percentage  Composition. 

Digestible. 

1 

! 

7 

<1 

Protein.  j 

Crude  fiber. 

Nitrogen-free 

extract. 

1 

'<3 

o 

£ 

* 

02 
• <V 

P* 

, O £ 

33 

o 

i _ 

Clover  hay 

4.89 

13.46 

1 

32.61 

47.16 

1.88 

6.65 

42.65 

0.80 

Malt  sprouts . . 
Cotton-seed 

4.26 

23.86 

13.63 

56.79 

1.46 

19.16 

43.56 

1.46 

meal 

7.01 

47.61 

3.00 

27.83 

14.55 

42.28 

19.12 

14.55 

Corn  meal. . . . 

1.91 

11.06 

1.07 

81.27 

4.69 

8.74 

74.62 

3.97 

* Sum  of  digestible  crude  fiber  and  nitrogen-free  extract. 


6 


The  amount  of  moisture  contained  in  these  fodders  as 
they  were  weighed  out  to  the  cows  was  also  determined, 
with  the  following  results: 


Water-content  of  Fodders. 


Hay. 
Per  cent. 

Corn  meal. 
Per  cent. 

Cotton-seed 

meal. 

Per  cent. 

Malt 
sprouts. 
Per  cent. 

Period  I 

15.55 

22.69 

Period  II 

14.94 

19.52 

9.01 

Period  III 

14.90 

18.95 

14.90 

Period  IV 

14.46 

18.33 

1 



1 

Rations  Fed. 

From  these  data  is  computed  the  composition  of  the  ra- 
tions fed  per  day  as  follows: 


Rations  fed  to  Jersey. 


Total  dry 
matter. 

Digestible. 

Protein. 

Carb- 

hydrates. 

Fat. 

Period  I. 

151  lbs*  hay 

12.88  lbs. 
7.68  lbs. 

0.86  lbs. 
0.67  lbs. 

5.49  lbs. 
5.73  lbs. 

0.10  lbs. 
0.30  lbs. 

9 15-16  lbs.  corn  meal 

Total 

20.56  lbs. 

1.53  lbs. 

11.22  lbs. 

0.40  lbs. 

Period  II. 

151  lb3.  hay 

12.97  lbs. 
6.24  lbs. 
1.71  lbs. 

0.86  lbs. 
0.55  lbs. 
0.72  lbs. 

5 . 54  lbs. 
4.66  lbs. 
0.33  lbs. 

0 . 10  lbs. 
0.25  lbs. 
0.25  lbs. 

7f  lbs.  corn  meal 

1 14-16  cotton-seed  meal. . . 
Total 

20.92  lbs. 

2.13  lbs. 

10.53  lbs. 

0.60  lbs. 

Period  III. 

151  lbs.  hay 

i 12.98  lbs. 
3.60  lbs. 
4.15  lbs. 

0.86  lbs. 
0.31  lbs. 
0.80  lbs. 

5 . 54  lbs. 
2.69  lbs. 
1.81  lbs. 

0.10  lbs. 
0.14  lbs. 
0.06  lbs. 

4 7-16  lbs.  corn  meal. 

4 14  16  lbs.  malt  sprouts  . . . 

Total 

20.73  lbs. 

1.97  lbs. 

10.04  lbs. 

0.30  lbs. 

Period  IV. 

151  lbs.  hay 

13.04  lbs. 
8.11  lbs. 

0.87  lbs. 
0.71  lbs. 

5.56  lbs. 
6.05  lbs. 

0.10  lbs. 
0.32  lbs. 

9 15-16  lbs.  corn  meal 

Total 

21.15  lbs. 

1 . 58  lbs. 

11.61  lbs. 

0.42  lbs. 

7 


The  rations  for  the  other  two  cows  were  slightly  less  in 
quantity  but  exactly  the  same  in  quality.  The  feed  was 
weighed  out  for  each  day  and  given  in  two  feeds.  It  was 
eaten  clean  throughout  the  trials,  but  was  apparently  all 
that  the  animals  would  have  eaten  clean.  The  rations 
were  moderate  in  amount,  and  on  this  account  presumably 
better  adapted  for  showing  the  effects  of  changes,  though 
not  calculated  to  produce  a large  flow  of  milk. 

As  before  stated,  it  was  intended  to  make  the  amount  of 
total  digestible  matter  the  same  in  each  period,  but  it  will 
be  seen  that  this  intention  was  not  exactly  realized.  The 
following  summary  shows  this  more  clearly.  By  “ nutritive 
ratio  ” is  meant  the  ratio  of  digestible  protein  to  digestible 
carbhydrates  and  fat  taken  together. 

« Summary  of  Composition  of  Rations. 


JERSEY. 

Hacker  and  Yellow. 

T td 
digestible 
matter. 

Nutritive 

Ratio. 

Total 

digestible 

matter. 

Nutritive 

Rat:o. 

1 

Period  I 

13f71  lbs. 

1 : 8.0 

13.34  lbs. 

1 : 8.0 

Period  II 

14.10  lbs. 

1 : 5.6 

13.66  lbs. 

1 : 5.6 

Period  III 

12.73  lbs. 

1 : 5.5 

12.341b-. 

1 : 5.5 

Period  TV i 

14.20  lbs. 

1 : 8.0 

i 

13.71  lbs. 

1 : 8.0 

The  variations  in  the  amount  of  total  nutritive  matter 
from  one  period  to  another  are  due  partly  to  differences  in 
the  amount  of  moisture  in  hay  and  corn  meal,  but  chiefly  to 
the  fact  that  these  experiments  were  begun  before  the  re- 
sults of  the  digestion  experiments  were  fully  worked  out  so 
as  to  be  available  in  fixing  upon  the  amounts  of  hay,  meal, 
etc.,  required  to  make  up  the  desired  ration. 

In  calculating  these  rations,  it  has  been  assumed  that  the 
cows  digested  the  fodder  to  the  same  extent  as  the  sheep. 
While  it  is  not  likely  that  this  is  exactly  the  case,  it  appears 
safe  to  assume  that  the  variation  was  not  large.  Moreover, 
whatever  difference  existed  is  likely  to  have  been  essentially 
the  same  in  all  the  periods,  so  that  it  will  not  materially 
affect  the  comparison  of  one  period  with  another. 


8 


Conduct  of  Experiments. 

Each  period  extended  over  three  weeks,  except  period  III, 
which  included  only  two  weeks.  The  determinations  men- 
tioned below  were  made  on  every  day  of  the  experiments, 
but  in  this  bulletin  only  the  daily  average  for  the  last  two 
iveeks  of  each  period  (or,  in  case  of  period  III,  for  the  last 
week)  are  given.  The  full  effect  of  a change  of  fodder  is 
not  realized  at  once;  hence  the  necessity  for  a preliminary 
feeding,  and  for  continuing  the  same  feeding  for  a consider- 
able time.  Three  weeks  is  none  too  long,  and  four  would 
have  been  better  had  time  allowed. 

Each  cow’s  feed  wcs  weighed  out  separately  for  each  day, 
in  bags,  a week’s  feed  at  a time,  samples  being  taken  at  the 
same  time  for  determination  of  moisture.  The  hay  had  been 
previously  cut  fine  for  convenience  of  sampling.  When  fed, 
the  meal  was  sprinkled  upon  the  hay,  all  being  fed  dry  ex- 
cept the  malt  sprouts,  which  were  soaked  in  25  pounds  of 
cold  water. 

The  cows  were  milked  twice  daily,  the  milk  being  at  once 
weighed.  In  addition  to  the  quantity  of  milk  produced,  its 
quality  was  also  determined  in  two  ways;  by  chemical  anal- 
ysis and  by  churning  tests. 

The  cows  were  watered  twice  daily  at  the  same  hours, 
with  water  at  50°  F.,  of  which  they  drank  all  they  chose. 
They  were  also  weighed  each  day  at  the  same  hour.  The 
temperature  of  the  stable  was  noted  each  day  at  7 A.  M.,  2 
and  9 P.  M.,  and  the  average  of  these  three  taken  to  repre- 
sent the  average  daily  temperature.  On  every  pleasant  day 
the  cows  were  let  out  for  exercise  during  the  afternoon,  in  a 
lot  where  they  could  get  no  fodder. 

Quantity  of  Milk  Produced. 

Before  proceeding  to  consider  the  effect  of  the  rations 
upon  the  quantity  of  milk  produced,  it  will  be  necessary  to 
take  account  of  the  possible  effects  of  other  conditions,  for 
the  yield  of  milk  is  liable  to  be  affected  by  many  circum- 
stances besides  the  food.  We  can  safely  attribute  any  vari- 
ation to  the  change  of  food  only  when  we  are  able  to  show 
that  it  can  be  due  to  nothing  else.  The  necessary  data  con- 


9 


cerning  the  more  important  of  these  conditions  are  to  be 
found  in  the  following  table,  in  which  are  given  the  aver- 
ages of  the  last  two  weeks  (or  one  week,  in  Period  III)  of 
each  period. 


Period. 

Live  Weight. 

Water  drunk. 

Temperature  of 
stable . 

Jersey. 

I 

849  lbs. 

79.0  lbs. 

27.9°  F. 

II 

861  lbs. 

82.6  lbs. 

41.2°  F. 

Ill 

878  lbs. 

89.7  lbs.* 

46.4°  F. 

IY 

874  lbs. 

88.7  lbs. 

58.8°  F. 

Hacker. 

I 

848  lbs. 

78.1  lbs. 

27.9°  F. 

II 

825  lbs. 

78.1  lbs. 

41.2°  F. 

Ill 

842  lbs. 

82.7  lbs* 

46.4°  F. 

IV 

821  lbs. 

90.0  lbs. 

58.3°  F. 

Yellow. 

I 

875  lbs. 

74.3  lbs. 

27.9°  F. 

II 

871  lbs. 

78.8  lbs. 

41.2°  F. 

Ill 

895  lbs. 

89.0  lbs.* 

46.4°  F. 

IY 

875  lbs. 

80.2  lbs. 

58.3°  F. 

*Inclcuding  twenty-five  pounds  used  to  soak  the  malt  sprouts. 


Neither  the  average  live  weights  nor  the  daily  weighings 
show  any  marked  tendency  toward  a gain  or  loss  in  any 
period,  thus  indicating  that  the  animals  neither  drew  upon 
their  bodies  to  make  milk  nor  fattened  at  the  cost  of  les- 
sened milk-production.  The  water  drunk  varies  somewhat, 
increasing,  as  was  natural,  as  the  weather  became  warmer. 
A careful  study  of  the  daily  consumption,  however,  fails  to 
show  any  definite  relation  between  it  and  the  temperature, 
the  live  weight,  or  the  milk  produced. 

The  temperature  of  the  stable  increased  from  period  to 
period,  and  it  is  well  established  that  this,  of  itself,  would 
have  a tendency  to  increase  the  flow  of  milk.  At  the  same 
time,  however,  as  the  cows  advanced  in  lactation,  the  ten- 
dency would  be  toward  a falling  off  in  the  milk,  and  these 
two  tendencies  would,  to  a certain  extent,  neutralize  each 
other.  It  will  be  remembered  that  the  rations  in  the  first 


10 


and  last  periods  were  made  the  same.  This  wTas  done  in  or- 
der to  show  how  much  the  milk  yield  had  fallen  off  during 
the  intervening  periods.  We  assume  that,  if  the  same  feed 
had  been  continued  throughout  the  experiment,  the  milk 
yield  would  have  fallen  off  regularly.  The  regular  rise  in 
temperature  partly  counterbalanced  this  falling  off,  and  the 
difference  in  yield  between  the  first  and  last  periods  ex- 
presses the  difference  between  these  two  effects. 

Thus  Hacker  gave,  in  period  I,  29.16  lbs.  of  milk,  and  in 
period  IY,  on  the  same  feed,  24.84  lbs.  The  falling  off  of 
4.32  lbs.  is  due  to  the  natural  shrinkage  in  milk,  modified  by 
the  influence  of  higher  temperature.  From  the  middle  of 
period  I to  the  middle  of  period  IY  was  eight  weeks.  If, 
then,  the  feed  had  remained  the  same,  we  may  assume  that  the 
daily  yield  of  milk  would  have  fallen  off  0.54  lb.  per  week. 
Up  to  the  middle  of  the  second  period,  that  is,  after  three 
weeks,  the  daily  yield  would  have  fallen  off  1.62  lbs.,  mak- 
ing it  27.54  lbs.  per  day.  Under  the  influence  of  the  ration 
actually  fed,  however,  the  daily  yield  was  28.96  lbs.,  which, 
though  less  than  in  the  first  period,  is  greater  by  1.42  lbs.  than 
we  have  reason  to  think  it  would  have  been  if  the  feed  had  not 
been  changed.  It  thus  appears  that  the  change  of  feed  re- 
sulted in  a gain,  although  if  we  had  not  been  able  to  com- 
pute the  rate  at  which  the  yield  was  falling  off,  but  had  com- 
pared the  two  periods  directly,  we  should  have  concluded 
that  the  change  of  feed  had  resulted  in  a loss. 

A similar  calculation  to  that  just  detailed  has  been  made 
for  each  cow  for  each  period,  and  in  the  following  table  the 
actual  and  computed  yields  are  compared.  The  difference 
between  the  two  shows  the  gain  (+)  or  loss  ( — ) caused  by 
the  change  of  feed. 


11 


Milk  Yields. 


Period. 

Date.* 

Jersey. 

Hacker. 

Yellow. 

Computed. 

Observed. 

Difference. 

Computed.  | 

Observed. 

Difference. 

Computed. 

Observed.  ! 

D fference. 

1 

lbs. 

lbs. 

Ibs. 

lbs. 

lbs. 

lbs. 

lbs. 

lbs. 

IbS. 

I 

Feb.  27-Mch.  18 

18.88 

18.88 

29.16 

29.16 

19.67 

19.67 

II. 

Mch.  18-Aor.  8 

18.86 

19.84 

+ 0.98 

27.54 

28.96 

+ 1.42 

19.84 

19.88 

+ 0.04 

III. 

Apr.  8-22 

18.84 

18.24 

—0.60 

26.19 

25.96 

-0.23 

19.98 

20.48 

+ 0 50 

IV.. 

Apr.  22-May  18 

18.82 

18.82 

24.84 

24.84 

20.12 

20.12 

*Whole  period. 


It  may  be  noted  in  passing  that  Yellow  gave  more  milk  in 
the  last  period  than  in  the  first,  probably  on  account  of  the 
higher  temperature. 

Hacker,  as  will  be  seen,  gave  a rather  large  yield  of  milk, 
while  Jersey  and  Yellow,  on  the  other  hand,  gave  only  a 
moderate  amount.  Thus  we  have  a test  of  the  effect  of  the 
several  rations  upon  two  moderate  milkers  and  one  very 
good  one;  and  it  is  to  be  noted  that  the  effect  was,  on  the 
whole,  essentially  the  same  in  all  three  cases,  differing  only 
in  amount.  A comparison  of  the  three  cows  with  each 
other  shows  very  pointedly  how  entirely  a secondary  mat- 
ter is  the  feed  as  compared  with  a proper  choice  of  animals. 
Hacker,  on  slightly  less  feed  than  Jersey,  and  the  same  as 
Yellow,  produced  about  one  and  one-half  times  as  much 
milk,  simply  because  her  organization  was  such  that  she 
could  work  over  a larger  proportion  of  her  feed  into  milk.  On 
the  other  hand,  it  must  be  placed  to  the  credit  of  the  other 
two  cows  that  they  did  not  shrink  in  milk  to  any  extent  dur- 
ing the  experiment,  while  Hacker  did  so  very  materially, 
Only  a comparison  extending  through  a whole  milking  sea- 
son could  settle  which  was  the  most  valuable  animal  for 
milk,  but  nevertheless  our  results  furnish  food  for  reflection 
regarding  the  importance  of  a proper  selection  of  milch 
cows. 


12 


Coming  now  to  a consideration  of  the  relations  of  feed  to 
milk,  we  observe  that  in  every  case  the  ration  of  period  II 
shows  more  or  less  gain  over  that  of  periods  I and  IV,  while 
the  ration  of  period  III  shows  a loss  in  every  case  but  one. 
The  weight  of  the  milk,  however,  does  not  always  furnish 
a correct  measure  of  the  real  effect  of  the  feed,  because  it 
may  be  more  watery  in  one  period  than  in  another.  In  fact 
Jersey’s  milk  was  more  watery  in  the  second  period  than  in 
the  first,  thus  accounting  for  part  of  the  apparent  gain.  A 
juster  basis  of  comparison  is  furnished  by  the  amount  of 
solid  matter  contained  in  the  milk,  since  this  is  its  valuable 
portion.  In  the  case  of  Jersey,  we  have  determinations  of 
this. 

Yield  of  Milk-solids— Jersey. 


Period. 

Date. 

Computed. 

Milk-solids. 

Observed. 

Diff. 

I 

Feb.  27-March  18. 

2.666  lbs. 

2.666  lbs. 

II 

Mar.  18-April  8. 

2.614  lbs. 

2.712  lbs. 

+ 0.098  lbs. 

Ill 

Apr.  8-22. 

2.576  lbs. 

1 2.464  lbs. 

-0.112  lbs. 

IV 

Apr.  22-May  13. 

2.544  lbs.  i 

2 . 544  lbs. 

These  figures  confirm  the  conclusions  drawn  from  the 
yields  of  fresh  milk,  viz. : that  period  II  shows  a gain  and 
period  III  in  general  a loss,  as  compared  with  the  clover  hay 
and  corn  meal  ration  of  periods  I and  IV,  but  that  the 
differences  are  small. 

What  relation,  now,  can  be  traced  between  this  gain  and 
loss,  and  the  rations  fed?  The  point  which  we  set  out  to 
test,  it  will  be  remembered,  was,  what  effect  has  an  increase 
of  the  proportion  of  digestible  protein  in  a ration  upon  milk 
production  This  we  sought  to  solve  by  increasing  the  pro- 
portion of  protein  in  periods  II  and  III  from  one  part  in 
eight  to  one  part  in  five  and  one-balf.  The  result  is  a small 
gain  in  period  II  and  a small  loss  in  period  III.  The  only 
conclusion  that  can  be  drawn  is,  that  increasing  the  propor- 
tion of  protein  in  the  ration  by  substituting  cotton-seed 
meal  or  malt  sprouts  for  corn  meal  had  no  effect  upon  the 


13 


production  of  milk.  The  slight  differences  observed  are 
abundantly  explained  in  another  way.  A reference  to  the 
table  on  page  7 shows  that  the  amount  of  total  digestible 
matters  was  unintentionally  increased  somewhat  in  period 
II  and  diminished  again  in  period  III,  and  the  yield  of  milk 
corresponds  to  the  variations  in  the  total  amount  of  food 
digested , and  not  to  the  variations  in  the  proportion  of 
protein* 

This  result  was  somewhat  unexpected,  but  it  is  quite  in 
the  line  of  recent  physiological  investigations  (by  Riibner) 
into  the  relative  value  of  protein,  fat  and  carbhydrates. 
Moreover,  it  is  only  in  seeming  conflict  with  other  experi- 
ments upon  milk  production.  Those  experiments  which  ap- 
pear to  show  the  importance  of  protein  in  milk  production 
have  been  made,  so  far  as  we  are  aware,  by  adding  some  ni- 
trogenous fodder,  like  oil-meal,  to  a poor  ration,  thus  in- 
creasing not  only  the  protein  but  also  the  total  digestible 
matters.  Our  results  simply  indicate  that  the  same  advan- 
tage might  have  been  gained  in  those  experiments  by  add- 
ing to  the  poor  ration  an  equivalent  quantity  of  some  fodder 
containing  less  protein  — corn  meal  for  instance. 

This  conclusion,  if  confirmed  by  subsequent  experiments,  is 
a very  important  one.  If  the  yield  of  milk  depends,  so  far 
as  feed  is  concerned,  chiefly  upon  the  amount  of  the  latter 
which  is  digested,  and  not  upon  the  proportion  of  protein, 
then  a fodder  is  valuable  for  milk  production  simply  in  pro- 
portion to  the  total  amount  of  digestible  matter  it  contains. 
Then  fodders  like  bran,  middlings,  corn  meal,  etc.,  which  con- 
tain only  a moderate  proportion  of  protein,  are  as  valuable 
for  milk  production  as  the  more  costly  oil-meals  and  other 
more  nitrogenous  feeding  stuffs.  This,  if  confirmed,  is 
particularly  interesting  as  regards  Indian  corn.  This  crop  is, 
and  must  long  continue  to  be,  the  main  reliance  of  the 
feeder  in  this  region.  Good  corn  meal  contains  not  far  from 
seventy  per  cent,  of  digestible  matters,  and  cotton-seed  meal 

* It  should,  perhaps,  be  noted  that  the  ration  in  period  IV  is  a little 
better  than  in  period  I,  and  this  would  affect  somewhat  our  calculation  of 
the  rate  at  which  the  milk  yield  fell  off,  but  it  w^ould  not  materially  alter 
the  main  result  of  the  experiments. 


14 


about  the  same  amount.  Corn  meal,  however,  is  not  rich  in 
protein  while  cotton -seed  meal  is,  and  hence  a special  value 
has  been  attributed  to  the  latter  as  a means  of  increasing 
the  proportion  of  protein  in  a ration.  But  if,  as  our  experi- 
ments indicate,  it  is  of  no  advantage  to  increase  it  above  a 
certain  moderate  amount,  the  cotton-seed  meal  is  of  no  more 
value  than  the  corn  meal,  and  the  farmer  may  use  the  cheap 
home  grown  feed  instead  of  the  more  expensive  imported 
material,  at  least  if  he  has  good  hay  or  clover  to  form  the 
basis  of  the  ration.  Essentially  the  same  would  be  true  of 
other  varieties  of  oil  meal. 

Malt  sprouts,  according  to  our  determination,  contain 
about  fifty-seven  per  cent,  of  digestible  matters  and  hence, 
if  our  experiments  are  correctly  interpreted,  would  be  worth 
about  fifty-seven  seventieths,  or,  in  round  numbers,  six- 
sevenths,  as  much  as  corn  meal,  pound  for  pound.  At  pres- 
ent they  can  be  bought,  near  large  breweries,  considerably 
below  that  price,  and  they  appear  to  be  an  excellent  food 
for  milk  production.  They  cannot,  however,  be  recom- 
mended to  butter  makers,  as,  in  our  experience,  they  impart 
their  flavor  to  the  cream  and  butter. 

Quality  of  Milk. 

As  already  stated,  the  quality  of  the  milk  produced  in 
these  experiments  was  determined  daily  by  chemical  anal- 
ysis and  by  churning  tests. 

A sample  of  Jersey’s  milk  was  taken  every  night  and 
morning,  the  two  samples  mixed,  and  in  the  mixed  night’s 
and  morning’s  milk  the  percentage  of  total  solids  and  of 
fat  was  determined.  The  remainder  of  Jersey’s  and  all  of 
Hacker’s  milk  was  set  in  small  Cooley  cans  immersed  in  ice 
water,  the  temperature  of  milk  and  of  water  being  noted. 
After  eleven  hours  the  skim  milk  was  drawn  off,  a sample 
of  it  taken  for  analysis,  and  the  cream  weighed  and  set  aside 
to  ripen.  The  cream  from  the  morning’s  milking  was  added 
to  that  from  the  previous  night’s  milk,  and  the  whole,  after 
standing  thirty-six  hours,  during  which  time  it  became 
slightly  sour,  was  churned  in  a rectangular  churn.  The  but- 


15 


ter  was  well  worked  and  weighed  before  salting.  A sample 
of  Jersey’s  butter  was  taken  each  day  for  analysis. 

Taking  first  the  quality  of  Jersey’s  milk  as  shown  by  an- 
alysis, we  have  the  following  results: 

Total  Solids  and  Fat. — Jersey's  Milk. 


j Total  Solids.  Fat. 

I Per  Cent.  J Per  Cent. 


Period  1 14.12  I 4.52 

Period  II 13.67  4.16 

Period  III [ 13.50  4.03 

Period  IV 13.52  3.84 


The  percentage  of  both  total  solids  and  fat  decreased 
more  or  less  regularly  as  the  experiments  advanced,  inde- 
pendently of  feed.  In  the  case  of  the  fat  the  decrease  was 
very  regular;  in  that  of  the  solids  it  nearly  all  took  place 
between  the  first  and  second  periods.  A study  of  the  daily 
results  shows  that  the  falling  off  in  the  percentage  of  total 
solids  actually  occurred  about  the  middle  of  the  first  period, 
the  greater  richness  of  the  milk  before  that  time  raising  the 
average  above  that  of  the  other  periods.  There  are  no  in- 
dications that  the  food  influenced  essentially  the  composi- 
tion of  the  fresh  milk. 

It  is  of  interest,  also,  to  compute  what  proportion  of  fat 
the  milk  would  have  contained  had  its  proportio  n of  water 
been  the  same  in  each  period.  It  is  easy  to  calculate  from 
the  above  figures  that  if,  in  all  the  periods,  the  milk  had 
contained  twelve  per  cent,  of  total  solids  and  eighty-eight  per 
cent,  of  water  (the  standard  commonly  adopted  for  such 
calculations),  the  percentage  of  fat  would  have  been  as  fol- 
lows. 

Period  1 3.84  per  cent. 

Period  II 3.65  per  cent. 

Period  III. 3.58  per  cent. 

Period  IV 3.42  per  cent. 

The  proportion  of  fat  to  other  solid  matters  is  shown  to 
decrease  as  the  experiments  progressed,  but  this  was  evi- 
dently due  to  a gradual  alteration  in  the  character  of  the 


16 


milk  with  advancing  lactation,  and  not,  so  far  as  appears,  to 
the  changes  in  the  fodder. 

The  average  daily  yield  of  milk  solids  has  already  been 
given  (p.  12);  we  repeat  it  here,  however,  in  connection  with 
a similar  statement  for  the  total  milk-fat  produced.  It  will 
be  seen  that  the  production  of  fat  was  affected  by  the  feed 
in  the  same  way  as  that  of  the  fresh  milk  and  the  milk 
solids. 

Yields  of  Milk-solids  and  Fat  {Jersey). 


Period. 

Milk-solids. 

MlLK-fAT. 

Computed 

1 Observed. 

Difference 

Computed 

Observed. 

Difference 

I 

2.666  lbs. 
2.614  lbs. 
2.576  lbe. 
2.544  lbs. 

2.666  lbs. 
2.712  lbs. 
2.464  lbs. 
2.544  lbs. 

+0.098  lbs 
— 0.1121bs 

0.854  lbs. 
0 . 804;  lbs. 
0.764  lbs. 
0.729  lbs. 

0.854  lbs. 
0.824  lbs. 
0.735  lbs. 
0.729  lbs. 

+0.020  lbs 
-0.029  lbs 

II 

III...--- 
IV 

Of  more  practical  interest  than  the  chemical  composition 
of  the  milk,  however,  are  the  determinations  of  the  amount  of 
butter  obtainable  by  churning,  since  that  portion  of  the  fat 
of  the  milk  which  is  convertible  into  butter  by  the  ordinary 
manipulation  has  a far  higher  value  than  that  which  re- 
mains in  the  skim-milk  and  buttermilk.  The  question 
whether  any  given  fodder  affects  the  churning  qualities  of 
the  milk  is  a highly  important  one,  for,  should  it  affect  them 
unfavorably,  for  example,  this  alone  might  more  than  coun- 
terbalance any  increase  in  the  total  number  of  pounds  of 
milk  produced.  It  is,  moreover,  a question  not  easy  to  solve 
with  certainty.  Chemical  analysis  of  the  milk  throws  no 
light  upon  it,  and  the  operations  of  setting  milk  and  churn- 
ing the  cream  it  is  difficult  to  conduct  with  the  de- 
sirable degree  of  accuracy.  We  are  perhaps  justified  in 
thinking  that  the  large  number  of  single  trials  represented 
by  the  following  averages,  each  made  with  every  precau- 
tion to  secure  uniformity  of  conditions,  will  compensate  for 
the  errors  incident  to  a single  trial,  and  yield  trustworthy 
results.  We  present  our  figures  for  what  they  are  worth, 
hoping  to  test  them  by  subseqent  experiments. 


17 

A general  notion  of  the  butter-making  quality  of  the  milk 
is  obtained  by  noting  the  number  of  pounds  of  milk  required 
to  make  a pound  of  butter. 


Milk  Per  Pound  of  Butter. 


Jersey. 

Hacker. 

Period  I 

22.6  lbs. 

24.8  lbs. 

Period  II  

26.0  lb-\ 

24.0  lbs. 

Period  III 

25.6  lbs. 

23.2  lbs. 

Period  IV 

23.8  lbs. 

22.1  lbs. 

It  appears  that  the  milk  of  each  cow  was  of  good  quality 
as  regards  the  yield  of  butter,  and  that  the  rather  small 
amounts  of  butter  credited  to  Jersey  below  are  due  to  small 
quantity  and  not  to  poor  quality  of  milk. 

The  quality  of  Hacker’s  milk,  as  measured  by  this  stand- 
ard, improves  regularly  from  period  to  period,  apparently 
quite  independently  of  the  food.  Comparing  the  first  with  the 
fourth  period,  Jersey’s  milk  shows  a slight  falling  off  in 
quality,  corresponding  to  that  shown  by  chemical  analysis 
p.  15.  In  periods  II  and  III,  however,  the  quality  of  the 
milk  falls  off  in  a way  that  can  be  explained  only  by  sup- 
posing that  the  feed  affected  the  churning  qualities  of  the 
milk. 

The  following  table  shows  the  same  thing  in  another  way. 
In  it  are  compared  the  actual  and  the  computed  (see  p.  10) 
yields  of  butter,  butter-solids  (i.  e.,  butter  freed  from  water), 
and  pure  butter-fat  by  Jersey  and  the  actual  and  com- 
puted yields  of  butter  by  Hacker.  The  amounts  are  given 


m ounces. 


18 


Average  Daily  Yields. 


Jersey. 

Hacker. 

Period. 

Butter. 

Butter-solids. 

Butter-fat. 

Butter. 

Comp  . 

Obs. 

Comp  . 

Obs. 

Comp  . 

Obs. 

Comp  . 

Obs. 

oz. 

oz. 

oz. 

oz. 

oz. 

oz. 

oz. 

oz. 

I 

13.36 

13.36 

11.41 

11.41 

11.27 

11.27 

18.80 

18.80 

II 

13.10 

12.21 

11.19 

10.66 

11.01 

10.44 

18.59 

19.32 

Ill 

12.78 

11.41 

1 L .00 

9.85 

10.78 

9.63 

18.33 

17.88 

IV 

12.66 

12.66 

10.82 

10.82 

10.55 

10.55 

17.97 

17.97 

Hacker’s  yield  of  butter  shows  a gain  in  period  II  and  a 
loss  in  period  III  as  compared  with  the  computed  yield,  cor- 
responding in  this  respect  to  the  effect  of  the  feed  upon  the 
quantity  of  the  milk.  In  Jersey’s  case,  however,  the  yields 
in  the  second  and  third  periods  fall  very  decidedly  below 
the  computed  yields,  whether  we  take  as  a basis  of  com- 
parison the  weight  of  fresh  butter,  of  butter-solids,  or  of 
butter-fat,  thus  showing  again  that  the  churning  quality  of 
the  milk  was  in  some  way  affected  in  these  periods. 

A third  method  of  computing  the  results  shows  still  more 
plainly  how  Jersey's  milk  was  affected.  The  fat  of  the 
milk  is,  to  the  butter  maker,  its  valuable  constituent,  and  it 
is  easy  from  the  data  at  our  command  to  ascertain  what 
proportion  of  the  fat  of  the  milk  was  recovered  in  the  but- 
ter in  each  period  and  what  proportion  remained  in  the 
skim-milk  and  butter-milk.  The  following  table  shows  this 
in  a condensed  form. 


Distribution  of  Fat  of  Milk  {Jersey.) 


Period. 

i 

In  Butter. 

Per  cent. 

In  Skim-milk. 
Per  cent. 

la  Buttermilk. 
(By  difference.) 
Per  cent. 

I. 

82.50 

8.35 

9.15 

II. 

79.15 

5.91 

14.94 

III. 

81.89 

6.21 

11.81 

IV. 

91.27 

5.80 

2.93 

19 


These  figures  signify  that,  for  example,  in  period  I,  82| 
per  cent,  of  the  whole  amount  of  fat  contained  in  the  milk 
was  recovered  in  the  butter,  while  17i  per  cent,  of  it  re- 
mained in  the  skim-milk  and  buttermilk.  Comparing,  now, 
the  several  periods,  it  is  obvious  that  a smaller  proportion 
of  the  milk  fat  was  recovered  in  periods  II  and  III  than  in 
the  average  of  periods  I and  IY.  Furthermore,  we  find 
that  the  proportion  lost  in  the  skim-milk  does  not  vary  much 
from  period  to  period,  but  that  the  loss  in  periods  II  and  III 
was  in  the  buttermilk.  In  other  words,  the  cream  rose 
equally  well  in  all  the  periods,  but  churned  better  in  periods 
I and  IY. 

This  corresponds  with  the  observations  made  at  the  time 
of  churning.  Hacker's  cream  showed  no  notable  differences 
and  was  churned  throughout  at  59°  F.  Soon  after  entering 
upon  period  II,  however,  Jersey’s  cream  began  to  occupy 
more  time  in  the  churning,  and  at  the  same  time  the  butter 
grew  harder,  so  that  it  was  almost  impossible  to  “ gather  ” 
it,  and  it  became  necessary  to  raise  the  temperature  from 
59°  F.  to  62.5°  F.,  in  order  to  get  a satisfactory  churning. 
This  temperature  was  continued  through  periods  II  and  III, 
but  as  soon  as  the  animals  returned  to  the  clover  hay  and 
corn  meal,  in  period  IY,  this  temperature  proved  to  be  too 
high,  and  had  to  be  reduced  to  59°  F.,  again. 

It  is  possible,  though  it  does  not  appear  probable,  that  a 
further  increase  of  temperature  in  the  second  and  third 
periods  might  have  caused  a better  yield  of  butter.  But, 
however  that  may  be,  it  is  certainly  of  interest  to  note  that 
the  same  change  of  feed  affected  the  quality  of  the  milk  in 
this  respect  very  decidedly  in  one  animal  and  hardly  at  all  in 
another,  under  the  same  conditions. 

These  comparisons  and  deductions  should  not  be  pushed 
too  far,  for  such  trials  are  very  liable  to  be  sources  of  error, 
owing  to  the  many  and  complex  conditions  involved.  They 
certainly,  however,  fail  to  show  any  improvement  in  the 
churning  qualities  of  the  milk  resulting  from  the  use  of  cot- 
ton-seed meal  or  malt  sprouts. 

In  conclusion,  we  wish  to  state  expressly  that  we  present 
these  results  and  considerations  simply  as  the  teachings  ol  • 


20 


...  I 

this  single  feeding  trial.  Thefe  are  so  many  conditions  be- 
sides the  feed  which  may  influence  the  result  of  an  experi- 
ment that  it  is  almost  impossible  to  be  sur6  that  all  of  them 
have  been  duly  taken  into  account.  It  is  only  when  the 
same  result  has  been  obtained  several  times  and  under  var- 
ied circumstances  that  it  can  be  regarded  as  established. 
We  hope  to  repeat  and  extend  these  experiments  at  an  early 
day,  and  meanwhile  present  these  results  as  showing  .the 
character  of  the  work  already  done  and  its  teachings  thus 
far.  Farmers  should  wait  for  further  evidence  before  con- 
demning oil-meal  or  cotton-seed  meal  as  feed  for  milch 
cows,  but  meanwhile  they  would  do  well  to  satisfy  them- 
selves of  their  advantages  before  investing  in  large 
amounts. 


,fV  -v. 

* 


UNIVERSITY  OF  WISCONSIN 


Agricultural  Experiment  Station. 


BULLETIN  NO.  5. 


ANALYSES  OF  FEEDING  STUFFS. 


MADISON.  WISCONSIN,  APRIL,  1885. 


DEMOCRAT  COMPANY,  STATE  PRINTERS. 


UNIVERSITY  OF  WISCONSIN 


Agricultural  Experiment  Station. 


COMMITTEE  OF  BOARD  OF  REGENTS  IN  CHARGE 
OF  THE  STATION. 


Hon.  HIRAM  SMITH,  Chairman, 
Hon.  H.  D.  HITT, 

Hon.  C.  H.  WILLIAMS,  - 


Sheboygan  Falls. 

Oakfield. 

Baraboo. 


OFFICERS  OF  THE  STATION. 

W.  A.  HENRY,  Agr.  B.,  - - Prof,  of  Agriculture. 

WM.  TRELEASE,  D.  Sc.,  - - Prof,  of  Botany  and  Horticulture. 

H,  P.  ARMSBY,  Ph.  D.,  - - Prof,  of  Agricultural  Chemistry. 


F.  G.  SHORT, 

LESLIE  H.  ADAMS,  - 
WM.  H.  MOON, 


- Chemist. 

Foreman  of  Farm. 

- DAIRYMAN. 


Office,  16  Agricultural  Hall. 

Chemical  Laboratory,  - - - 18  Agricultural  Hall. 

Botanical  Laboratory,  12  Agricultural  Hall. 

f Experimental  fields  and  barn  on  the  University  farm. 


The  bulletins  and  reports  of  the  Experiment  Station 
will  be  sent  free  of  charge  to  all  residents  of  the  state 
desiring  to  receive  them. 

We  now  have  on  our  mailing  list  a large  number  of  ad- 
dresses, collected  at  different  times  and  in  various  ways 
during  several  years  past.  Many  of  these  persons  may  have 
since  changed  their  addresses  or  removed  from  the  state  alto- 
gether; some  of  them  have  doubtless  died.  In  order  that  we 
may  send  our  publications  to  every  one  who  desires  them , 
and  only  to  such , we  ask  that  upon  receipt  of  this  bulletin 
you  will , if  you  desire  to  receive  our  future  publications , do 
us  the  favor  to  notify  us  to  that  effect.  Your  name  will  then 
be  placed  on  our  permanent  mailing  list , and  you  will  receive 
all  bulletins  and  reports  as  issued. 

|S§F~  If  we  do  not  hear  from  you  we  shall  infer  that  you 
do  not  wish  future  bulletins  sent  to  you. 

If  this  notice  is  [erased  from  the  bulletin  sent  you , it 
signifies  that  your  name  is  already  on  our  permanent  list. 


ANALYSES  OF  FEEDING  STUFFS. 


BRAN  FROM  ROLLER  MILLING. 

The  extensive  introduction  of  the  process  of  roller  milling 
has  resulted  in  bringing  upon  the  feed  market  large  quan- 
tities of  wheat  bran  differing  so  greatly  in  appearance  from 
the  older  kind,  and  so  suggestive  of  chaff  or  sawdust,  that  a 
somewhat  prevalent  distrust  of  its  value  has  arisen. 

Below  are  given  the  results  of  the  chemical  analysis  of  a 
sample  taken  from  a car-load  of  this  bran  bought  by  the 
Station  from  the  Washburn  Mills,  Minneapolis,  for  its  own 
use. 

For  comparison  there  are  also  given  three  analyses  made 
by  the  U.  S.  Department  of  Agriculture,  A being  of  bran 
from  spring  wheat,  B from  Virginia  winter  wheat,  and  C 
from  Ohio  winter  wheat. 

WHEAT  BRAN. 


1 

A. 

B. 

c. 

Water 

14.13 

10.91 

8.24 

7.74 

Ash j 

6.05 

5.59 

6.89 

6.99 

Protein 

15.19 

16.28 

16.45 

15.40 

Woody  fiber 

10.31 

5.98 

6.13 

( A/f  QQ 

Nitrogen-free  extract 

50.96 

56.21 

56.77 

r 04 • OO 

Fat 

3.36 

5.03 

5.52 

4.99 

100.00 

100.00 

100.00 

100.00 

The  three  samples,  A,  B and  C,  were  drier  than  our  sample, 
and  consequently  appear  to  have  a somewhat  higher  per- 
centage of  some  of  the  other  ingredients.  If  we  reduce 
them  all  to  the  water-free  state,  we  shall  then  be  able  to 
make  a fair  comparison.  In  the  following  table  this  has 
been  done. 


6 


WHEAT  BRAN— WATER-FREE. 


A. 

B. 

C. 

Ash 

7.06 
17.69  | 
12.00 
59.34 
3.91 

6.27 

18.27 

6.71 

63.10 

5.65 

7.51 

17.93 

6.68 

61.86 

6.02 

7.58 

16.69 

j 70.32 
5.41 

Protein 

Woody  fiber 

Nitrogen-free  extract 

Fat 

100.00 

100.00 

100.00 

100  00 

With  the  exception  of  the  relatively  high  percentage  of 
woody  fiber  in  our  sample,  these  analyses  show  a striking 
degree  of  uniformity  in  the  composition  of  bran  made  by  the 
roller  process  at  different  places  and  from  different  materials. 

To  illustrate  the  difference  between  this  bran  and  the  old 
process”  bran,  we  have  placed  sidejby  side  below  the  average 
of  these  four  analyses  and  the  average  of  all  analyses  of 
wheat  bran  published  up  to  1879.  These  are  nine  in  number 
and  probably  are  nearly  if  not  quite  all  “ old  process  ” 
bran. 


BRAN.—  WATER-FREE. 


Roller  bran. 

“Old  pro- 
cess v bran. 

Ash 

7.11 

17.64 

8.46 

61.54 

5.25 

5.59 

14.79 

9.23 

66.12 

4.27 

Protein 

Woody  fiber 

Nitrogen-free  extract 

Fat 

100.00 

100.00 

In  comparing  these  averages,  attention  should  be  fixed 
upon  the  protein  and  nitrogen-free  extract.  The  ash,  woody 
fiber  and  fat  may  be  left  out  of  the  account  because  they 
are  present  in  comparatively  small  quantities . By  protein 
is  meant  a class  of  bodies  resembling  white  of  eggs  or  lean 
meat  in  their  properties.  They  compose  the  muscles,  ten- 


dons,  a large  part  of  the  bones,  and  in  short  nearly  all  the 
working  machinery  of  the  body,  and  a liberal  supply  of 
them  in  the  food  is  essential.  In  the  wheat  grain  they  are 
represented  by  the  gluten  of  the  flour  and  by  related  sub- 
stances in  the  bran. 

The  nitrogen-free  extract  of  flour  and  bran  consists  largely 
either  of  starch  or  of  bodies  related  to  starch  ;n  their  chemi- 
cal composition. 

Returning,  now,  to  our  averages,  roller  bran  differs  from 
“ old  process  ” bran  in  containing  more  protein  and  less 
nitrogen-free  extract.  A microscopical  examination  of  the 
bran  at  once  shows  the  reason  of  this  difference. 


Fig.  1. 

Figure  1.  Grain  of  wheat  cut  longitudinally,  (x7).  a,  endosperm;  e,  embryo;  r,  its 
root;  s,  its  sheath  or  “ scutellum,”  by  which  it  absorbs  nourishment  from  the  endosperm 
during  germination. 

A grain  of  wheat,  as  may  be  seen  from  figure  1,  consists 
of  three  evident  parts:  the  germ  or  embryo  plant  (e),  the 
endosperm,  or  food  destined  for  the  use  of  the  embryo  when 
it  begins  to  develop  (a),  and  the  brown  or  reddish  mem- 
branes that  cover  both.  The  parts  of  interest  in  connectio  n 
with  flour  and  bran  are  the  endosperm  and  its  membranes. 

A section  through  these  (fig.  2)  shows  that  the  endosperm, 
or  principal  part  of  the  grain,  is  composed  of  large  cells  (5), 
filled  with  round  or  oval  starch-grains  lying  in  a finely  gran- 
ular albuminoid  substance  that  becomes  the  “ gluten”  of 
flour.  This  mass  of  cells  is  surrounded  by  a single  layer  of 
cells  of  about  the  same  size  (4),  that  contain  no  starch  but 


8 


are  filled  with  coarse  granules  of  albuminoid  matter.  These 
granules  are  known  as  aleurone  grains,  and  the  layer  of 
cells  containing  them  is  the  aleurone  layer.  Covering  this 
layer,  are  several  tiers  of  long  thin  cells  (3),  forming  the 
seed  coat,  which  in  its  turn  is  closely  surrounded  by  another 
enveloping  membrane  (1-2).  Though  the  wheat  grain  is 
usually  spoken  of  as  a seed,  it  is  in  reality  a complete  fruit; 
and  this  outer  coat  does  not  properly  belong  to  the  seed,  but  is 
the  wall  of  the  ovary,  and  hence  to  be  compared  with  the  pod 


Fig.  2. 

Figure  2.  Fragments  of  a longitudinal  section  of  a wheat  grain,  (x  330).  1-2,  wall  of 
o/ary;  2,  “cross-cells;”  3,  seed-coat;  4,  aleurone-cells;  5,  starch  cells,  containing  fine  gluten 
grains  between  the  large  grains  of  starch. 

of  the  bean  or  pea.  As  may  be  seen  from  the  figure,  it  con- 
sists of  several  layers  of  long  flat  cells,  the  innermost  (2) 
running  crosswise  of  the  grain,  and  for  this  reason  appear- 
ing smaller  in  a longitudinal  section;  while  the  others  (1) 
run  lengthwise. 

In  grinding  wheat,  the  wall  of  the  o\ary  and  the  seed-coat 
flake  away  together  as  “ bran”;  but  this  does  not  happen  so 
as  to  leave  the  inner  parts  entirely  in  the  flour.  The  old- 
process  bran  usually  carries  with  it  one  or  more  layers  of 
the  starch-cells  (5);  hence  its  white,  floury  appearance.  An 
examination  of  the  roller-process  bran  shows  that  the  mem- 


9 


branes  have  usually  been  torn  away  through  the  first  layer 
of  starch-cells  so  that  very  little  of  it  presents  a white  or 
mealy  appearance.  In  a flake  of  this  bran  it  is  easy  to  see 
under  the  microscope  that  all  of  the  parts  from  one  to  four 
are  present.  Figure  3 shows  a fragment  of  this  sort,  seen 
from  the  outside.  The  long,  flat  cells  (1)  are  here  seen  to 
have  an  oblong  form,  their  side  walls  being  thickened  in 
places,  with  intervening  thin  spots  or  pits.  Where  these 
outer  cells  are  broken  away,  the  cross-cells  (2)  show,  their 


Fig.  3. 

Figure  3.  Fragment  of  roller-process  bran,  seen  from  the  outside,  (x330).  1,  surface 
view  of  outer  cells  of  the  ovary ; 2,  “ cross-cells 4,  aleurone-cells. 

walls  presenting  the  same  pitted  appearance.  Under  the 
edges  of  this  layer  the  more  delicate  cells  of  the  seed-coat 
are  sometimes  visible,  though  they  usually  tear  away  further 
back,  as  in  the  specimen  figured,  so  that  they  do  not  show. 
Finally,  the  aleurone-cells  (4)  are  always  found  as  the  inner- 
most layer  of  the  bran. 


10 


The  microscope  shows,  therefore,  that  roller-process  bran 
always  contains  the  cells  with  the  highest  percentage 
of  nitrogenous  matter  — those  of  the  aleurone  layer. 
This  explains  the  relatively  high  percentage  of  protein 
found  in  roller  bran.  It  contains  all  the  protein  that  the 
“ old  process  ” bran  does,  with  less  of  the  starchy  endosoperm 
to  dilute  it. 

Now,  these  starchy  matters,  while  they  are  necessary  for 
the  animal,  may  be  supplied  more  cheaply  than  in  bran . 
The  ordinary  coarse  fodders  of  the  farm  contain  an  abun- 
dance of  them,  but  are  relatively  deficient  in  the  important 
protein.  Obviously,  in  buying  bran,  it  is  economy  to  select 
that  which  contains  the  most  protein,  since  this  is  the  sub- 
stance in  which  our  fodders — and  the  grains  as  well,  espec- 
ially corn — are  relatively  poor,  rather  than  to  pay  ten  or 
eleven  dollars  per  ton  for  the  starch  of  the  old  process  bran 
when  equally  valuable  matter  may  be  had  in  hay  or  corn 
fodder  for  four  to  eight  dollars . 

In  spite  of  its  unpromising  appearance,  then,  the  roller 
bran  proves  to  be  more  valuable  as  feed  than  the  “old 
process  ” bran,  since,  while  it  contains  somewhat  less  of  the 
starchy  matters  of  the  wheat,  it  contains,  in  100  pounds, 
considerably  more  valuable  protein.  The  Station  can  not, 
as  yet,  report  any  special  feeding  tests  of  the  bran,  but  it  has 
given  good  satisfaction  as  a feed.  This,  we  believe,  has 
been  the  case  wherever  it  has  received  an  unprejudiced  trial. 

Large  quantities  of  wheat  bran  are  being  shipped  across 
Wisconsin  to  supply  states  to  the  east  of  us.  This  bran  con- 
tains the  elements  of  fertility  drawn  from  the  virgin  soils 
of  the  northwest,  and  every  car-load  fed  in  our  state,  in  ad- 
dition to  its  value  as  fodder,  contributes  practically  all  this 
fertility  to  our  soil.  It  is  certainly  worth  considering  whether 
we  can  afford  to  let  this  stream  of  fertility  flow  by  us  un- 
used. 

“stock  food  cake.” 

A sample  of  about  100  pounds  of  this  article  was  sent  to 
the  station  in  January  last,  by  Messrs.  E.  W.  Blatchford  & 
Co.,  of  Chicago,  the  manufacturers,  with  the  request  that  its 
value  be  tested. 


11 


In  a letter  accompanying  the  sample  the  makers  say: 

" The  want  of  a thoroughly  good  feed  cake,  possessing  in  addition  to  the 
very  useful  properties  of  linseed  and  cotton  seed  cakes,  more  of  the  three 
ingredients  most  needed  for  profitable  feeding,  viz.,  oil,  sugar , and  albumin 
ous  compounds,  is  being  felt  more  and  more.  The  cake  we  now  send  you 
for  analysis  and  practical  test,  has  been  manufactured  expressly  to  contain 
the  largest  possible  quantities  of  these  three  ingredients,  put  up  in  the 
most  convenient  form  for  use.  It  is  composed  of  the  best  known  flesh, 
fat  and  milk  producing  constituents,  * * * ” 


A chemical  analysis  showed  the  sample  to  have  the  fol- 
lowing composition: 


“Stock  Food 
cake.” 

New  process 
oil  meal. 

Water 

12.30 

10.51 

Ash 

6.67 

6.06 

Protein | 

33.94 

33.45 

Woody  fiber 

6.85 

8.37 

Nitrogen-free  extract 

34.53 

38.78 

Fat 

5.71 

2.83 

100.00 

100.00 

By  comparison  of  the  analysis  with  the  average  composi- 
tion of  oil  meal,  it  will  be  seen  that  there  is  little  difference 
detween  the  two,  and  that  so  far  as  the  indications  of  chemi- 
cal analysis  can  be  relied  upon,  the  two  materials  are  of 
about  the  same  value. 

This  “ stock  feed  cake  ” is  not  linseed  cake,  however,  nor 
does  it  contain  any  linseed  cake.  A microscopical  examina- 
tion shows  it  to  consist  chiefly  of  ground  beans  and  cotton- 
seed cake,  fragments  of  the  seed  coats  of  the  beans  and  of 
the  black  hulls  of  the  cotton  seed  being  plainly  visible  even 
to  the  naked  eye.  Some  barley-meal  also  evidently  enters 
into  its  composition.  No  linseed  cake  was  found.  This  re- 
sult agrees  strikingly  with  the  results  of  the  chemical  analy 
sis,  as  the  following  statement  shows: 


12 


\ 

W 

a. 

m 

Cotton  seed  cake. 

Mixture  of  \ beans 
and  | cotton  seed 
cake. 

“Stock  food  cake.” 

Water 

14.50 

| 

7.83 

11.15 

12.30 

Ash 

3.10 

7.2C 

5.15 

6.67 

Protein 

25.50 

42.45 

33.98 

33.94 

Woody  fiber 

9.40 

5.67 

7.54 

6.85 

N itrogen-f ree  extract 

45.90 

23.49 

34.70 

34.53 

Fat 

1.60 

13.36 

| 

7.48 

5.71 

100.00 

1 100.00 

100.00 

100.00 

The  agreement  between  the  composition  of  the  “ stock 
food  cake  ” and  the  calculated  composition  of  equal  parts  of 
beans  and  cotton  seed  meal  is  very  close,  and  in  conjunc- 
tion with  the  microscopical  examination  shows  that  in  all 
probability  the  “ stock  food  cake  ” is  essentially  a mixture 
of  the  two  feeds  named,  in  about  equal  proportions. 
The  beans  have  evidently  been  coarsely  ground  and  mixed 
with  the  cotton-seed  meal  or  cake  and  the  mixture  subjected 
to  hydraulic  pressure.  There  is  no  doubt  that  such  a 
mixture,  if  made  of  sound  materials,  would  prove  a whole- 
some and  nutritious  addition  to  the  ordinary  feed  of  cattle 
and  sheep.  The  manufacturers  state  that  it  can  oe  supplied 
at  the  same  price  as  linseed  cakes.  Our  analysis  shows  that 
it  has  about  the  same  value  as  new  process  oil  meal,  but,  so 
far  as  can  be  judged,  it  has  no  special  advantages  over  either 
•of  the  feeds  named. 


\ 


UNIVERSITY  OF  WISCONSIN. 


Agricultural  Experiment  Station. 


BULLETIN  NO.  6. 


EXPERIMENTS  ON  CALF-FEEDING:  ANALYSES  OF 
FERTILIZERS. 


MADISON,  WISCONSIN,  JULY,  1885. 


DEMOCRAT  COMPANY,  STATE  PRINTERS. 


UNIVERSITY  OF  WISCONSIN 


Agricultural  Experiment  Station. 


COMMITTEE  OF  BOARD  OF  REGENTS  IN  CHARGE 
OF  THE  STATION. 


Hon.  HIRAM  SMITH,  Chairman, 
Hon  H.  D.  HITT, 

Hon.  C.  H.  WILLIAMS, 


Sheboygan  Falls. 

Oakfield. 

Baraboo. 


OFFCERS  OF  THE  STATION. 

W.  A.  HENRY, ’Agr.  B„  - - Prof,  of  Agriculture. 

WM.  TRELEASE,  D.  Sc.,  - - Prof,  of  Botany  and  Horticulture. 

H.  P.  ARMSBY,  Ph.  D.,  - - Prof,  of  Agricultural  Chemistry. 


F.  G.  SHORT, 

LESLIE  H.  ADAMS,  - 
WM.  H.  MOON, 


- Chemist. 

Foreman  of  Farm. 

- Dairyman. 


Office,  16  Agricultural  Hall. 

Chemical  Laboratory,  - - 18  Agricultural  Hall. 

Botanical  Laboratory,  12  Agricultural  Hall. 

Experimental  Fields  and  Barn  on  the  University  Farm, 


EXPERIMENTS  ON  CALF-FEEDING. 


In  several  of  our  northwestern  counties  farmers  are  giv- 
ing up  wheat  growing  and  starting  into  dairying,  following 
the  practice  so  successfully  inaugrated  years  ago  in  some  of 
the  older  counties  of  the  state,  when  wheat  growing  like- 
wise proved  a failure. 

With  all  the  difficulties  that  beset  the  changing  of  occu- 
pations, they  have  just  now  to  face  the  discouraging  fact 
that  dairy  goods  command  a lower  price  than  for  years  past. 

What  shall  be  done?  Wheat  growing  certainly  will  not 
pay,  and  only  the  foolish  will  trust  to  that  longer.  Evi- 
dently it  is  best  to  keep  right  on,  but  that  unusual  precau- 
tions be  taken  to  avoid  the  waste  and  losses  that  naturally 
occur  during  flush  times.  Good  cows,  well, fed  and  cared 
for,  will  give  fair  returns  even  yet,  and  if  the  skim  milk  is 
carefully  saved  and  intelligently  fed,  a small  profit  may  still 
be  secured,  and  the  farm  and  stock  got  into  condition  to  reap 
larger  profits  when  the  reaction  comes  into  the  butter  mar- 
ket, as  it  surely  will.  Good  wheat  will  generally  be  worth 
about  $1.00  per  bushel,  and  cannot  for  any  great  length  of 
time  remain  much  below  that  figure.  So  good  butter  is 
worth  from  20  to  25  cents  per  pound,  and  sooner  or  later  the 
buyers  will  pay  that  price  for  it.  We  must  accustom  our- 
selves, however,  to  lower  prices  for  all  farm  products  in  the 
future,  and  to  do  this  must  check  the  thousand  sources  of 
waste  that  have  been  allowed  in  the  past.  Skim  milk,  with 
many  farmers,  is  a product  to  be  fed  as  swill  and  gotten  rid 
of  in  the  easiest  way.  If  they  have  a few  pigs,  and  an  abund- 
ance of  milk,  then  each  pig  gets  an  over  supply,  or  the  re- 
verse occurs.  We  must  learn  to  hold  this  by-product  as  one 
of  the  most  valuable  on  the  farm,  and  feed  it  accordingly. 

In  the  immediate  vicinity  of  Lake  Mills,  Jefferson  county, 
not  less  than  a thousand  calves  have  been  slaughtered  this 
spring,  when  from  two  days  to  four  weeks  old,  bringing  from 


6 


one  to  four  dollars  apiece.  One  butcher  has  handled  nearly 
five  hundred  at  that  poiqt.  This  destruction  has  been  going 
on  in  all  our  cheese  districts  at  about  the  same  rate  in  face 
of  the  fact  that  stock  buyers  are  scouring  the  state  to  buy 
yearlings  for  home  pastures  or  to  take  to  the  plains  of  the 
West,  and  are  paying  prices  out  of  all  proportion  to  those 
which  mature  cattle  bring.  Is  this  right?  Is  it  in  accord 
with  the  principles  of  economy  that  should  govern  our  farm- 
ers in  this  period  of  low  prices?  To  me  it  seems  a subject 
worthy  of  more  thought  and  study  than  it  has  yet  received. 

To  throw  some  light  upon  this  problem  the  following  test 
of  rearing  calves  on  sweet  skim  milk  is  published  in  the 
hope  that  it  will  show  that  calves  can  be  profitably  raised 
on  this  by-product  if  only  proper  care  is  given  in  feeding  it. 
Six  calves  were  fed  from  six  to  eleven  quarts  of  sweet  skim 
milk  daily.  The  milk  was  from  the  Cooley  Creamer,  was 
sweet  when  fed,  and  in  all  instances  warmed  to  98  degrees 
Fahrenheit.  All  but  the  oldest  calf  was  fed  three  times  a 
day.  Besides  the  milk  each  calf  was  supplied  with  oats, 
bran,  oil  meal,  hay  and  ensilage  all,  or  a part  of  the  time- 
Our  reliance  was  the  oats,  and  the  calves  were  early  taught 
to  eat  them.  Scouring  was  checked  by  the  use  of  lime 
water,  a table  spoonful  of  which  was  regularly  put  in  each 
feed  of  milk  while  the  calves  were  young. 

The  tables  here  given  largely  explain  themselves: 


FIRST  FEEDING  TRIAL,  NOVEMBER  24,  1884,  TO  FEBRUARY  16 
1885  — TWELVE  WEEKS. 


Breed  and  Sex  of 
Calf. 

Age  ia  days  at  begin- 
ning  of  experiment. 

Quarts  of  skim  milk 
drank. 

Pounds  of  oats  eaten. 

Pounds  of  bran  eaten. 

Pounds  of  oil-meal  eaten. 

Pounds  of  hay  eaten. 

Weight  at  beginning  of 
the  test. 

Weight  at  close  of  the 
test. 

Gain  during  the  test. 

i 

1 Cost  of  all  food  except  i 
milk.  i 

Value  of  skim  milk  per 
100  quarts. 

Full  blood  Jersey 
heifer 

22 

681 

S2i 

48 

16 

84 

93 

215 

122 

$1.14 

$0.54 

Full  blood  Jersey 
bull 

16 

679 

S2i 

42 

15 

100 

89 

216 

127 

1.16 

.59 

Grade  Jersey  bull . . ! . 

31 

681 

37f 

182 

441 

15 

126 

112 

256 

144 

1.33 

.65 

Grade  Jersey  bull 

70 

681 

18 

130 

199 

385 1 

186 

2.56 

.71 

Grade  Holstein  heifer 

50 

912 

120 

19 

108 

155 

322 

167 

.1.86 

.52 

Full  blood  Holstein 
heifer 

87 

574 

160 

20 

168 

265 

400 

135 

2.52 

.50 

SECOND  FEEDING  TRIAL,  FEB  RUARY  16th  TO  APRIL  27,  1885.- 

TEN  WEEKS. 


Breed  and  Sex  of 
Calf. 

Quarts  of  skim  milk  | 
drank. 

Pounds  of  oats  eaten. 

Pounds  of  bran  eaten. 

Pounds  of  oil  meal 
eaten. 

Pounds  of  hay  eaten. 

Pounds  of  ensilage 
eaten. 

Weight  at  the  beginning  : 
of  the  experiment. 

Weight  at  close  of  the 
experiment. 

Gain  during  the  test. 

Cost  of  all  food  except  i 
milk. 

Value  of  skim  milk  per 
100  quarts.  i 

Full  blooded  Jersey 

heifer 

560 

65f 

831 

491 

40 

200 

215 

315 

100 

$2.23 

$0.31 

Full  blooded  Jersey 

bull 

560 

83 

771 

41 

50 

200 

"216 

364 

148 

2.30 

.60 

*Grade  Jersey  bull. . . 

448 

66f 

751 

40 

42 

200 

256 

375 

119 

2.08 

.60 

fGrade  Jersey  heifer. 

252 

71 

102 

45 

100 

50 

385 

455 

70 

2.35 

.17 

Grade  Holstein  heifer 

560 

145 

150 

63 

60 

400 

322 

448 

126 

3.97 

.37 

Full  blood  Holstein 

heifer 

420 

145 

137 

58 

120 

400 

400 

500 

100 

4.07 

Sold  April  13th.  t Sold  March  30th. 


8 


In  a study  of  these  tables  we  note  that  the  younger  calves 
made  the  largest  gains  for  the  food  consumed,  which  is  in 
accordance  with  established  facts. 

To  ascertain  the  value  of  the  milk  fed  it  is  assumed  that 
each  pound  of  growth  is  worth  four  cents  and  that  hay  is 
worth  $8.00,  oil  meal  $25.00,  bran  $12.00  and  ensilage  $3.00 
per  ton  and  oats  32  cents  per  bushel  or  a cent  a pound. 
Charging  these  prices  for  all  that  the  calves  ate  we  get  the 
figures  that  appear  in  the  next  to  the  last  columns  in  both 
tables  as  the  value  of  the  food  other  than  the  milk  con- 
sumed. By  subtracting  this  sum  from  the  value  of  the  in- 
creased weight  at  four  cents  per  pound  we  have  left  the 
sum  to  the  credit  of  the  skim  milk.  In  the  last  column  we 
have  the  value  of  the  skim  milk  per  100  quarts  as  returned 
by  each  calf  in  accordance  with  the  above  assumptions. 
This  it  will  be  seen  varies  from  less  than  nothing  with  the 
last  calf,  in  the  second  trial,  to  71  cents  per  100  quarts  with 
the  fourth  calf  in  the  first  trial. 

Two  of  the  calves  were  sold  before  the  expiration  of  the 
trial,  so  that  the  average  period  is  in  fact  twenty-one  weeks 
instead  of  twenty-two. 

The  average  return  from  the  six  calves  for  the  whole  period 
of  twenty-one  weeks , after  allowing  for  all  other  food 
articles  consumed  at  the  prices  before  named,  is  48  cents  per 
100  quarts  of  skim  milk,  or  about  24  cents  per  100  pounds. 

Whether  the  assumptions  that  lead  to  the  above  conclusion 
are  correct  or  not  each  reader  can  easily  settle  in  his  own 
mind;  the  prices  allowed  for  the  food  articles  are  certainly 
high  enough,  and  a gain  of  100  pounds  in  the  weight  of  a 
calf  would  seem  low  enough  at  $4.00.  If  the  value  of  these 
several  articles  is  reduced  then  the  value  of  the  skim  milk 
rises  proportionally.  I am  confident  from  experiments  made 
that  100  pounds  of  growth  cannot  be  made  for  $4.00  when 
the  calf  is  allowed  to  suck  the  cow.  Twenty-four  cents  for 
100  pounds  may  not  seem  a very  high  price  for  skim  milk, 
yet  with  the  present  prices  for  cheese,  full  milk  at  the  factory 
can  scarcely  realize  over  fifty  cents  per  100  pounds  to  the 
producer. 


9 


These  six  calves  together  gained  1544  pounds,  or  over  three- 
quarters  of  a ton  in  twenty-one  weeks,  being  an  average  of 
over  12  pounds  each  per  week. 

The  first  three  of  the  calves  stood  in  a basement  barn 
where  it  seldom  froze  during  the  coldest  weather.  The  last 
three  stood  in  a barn  only  partly  occupied  by  stock,  and 
where  it  froze  almost  as  hard  as  out  of  doors.  The  condi- 
tions were  certainly  no  better  than  the  average  farmer  can 
give  to  young  stock. 

The  calves  were  fed  by  the  dairyman,  Wm.  H.  Moon,  to 
whose  careful  attention  these  excellent  results  are  largely 
due. 


We  have  had  both  good  and  poor  results  from  feeding 
skim  milk  and  as  a summary  of  experience  offer  the  follow- 
ing hints: 

Feed  skim  milk  lightly.  Eight  to  nine  quarts  in  three 
feeds  is  sufficient  to  make  a thrifty  calf  gain  from  12  to  14 
pounds  a week. 

More  calves  are  killed  by  over  feeding  than  under  feeding. 

Feed  three  times  a day  if  you  wish  good  results. 

Never  let  the  milk  go  into  the  calf’s  stomach  colder  than 
98  degrees,  Fahrenheit.  Use  the  thermometer  regularly  in 
determining  the  warmth  of  the  milk. 

Make  lime  water  by  putting  a lump  of  lime  the  size  of  a 
hen’s  egg  into  a jug  of  water  and  shaking.  When  the 
water  is  clear  it  is  ready  for  use.  Keep  the  jug  corked  tight 
at  all  times.  A table  spoonful  of  the  clear  lime  water  may 
be  giyen  with  each  feed  if  the  calf  shows  any  signs  of 
scours.  If  scouring  occurs  reduce  the  amount  of  milk  at 
once.  An  egg  stirred  in  the  milk  and  parched  flour  are 
both  excellent  remedies.  Over- feeding,  not  feeding  often 
enough,  irregularity  and  cold  milk  are  the  principal  causes 
of  scouring. 

Teach  the  calf  to  eat  whole  oats  by  the  time  it  is  three 
weeks  or  a month  old  by  slipping  a few  small  handfuls  into 
its  mouth  just  after  it  has  drunk  milk.  When  it  has  learned 
to  eat  them  keep  a supply  before  it  in  a little  box.  If  you 


10 


haven’t  oats  enough  for  the  horses  and  calves  both,  let  the 
horses  go  without,  rather  than  the  calves.  Don’t  waste  time 
grinding  the  cats.  Bran,  oil  meal  and  other  articles  are 
good  but  oats  is  the  most  satisfactory  of  all.  I never  knew 
of  a calf  eating  too  many.  While  young  keep  each  calf 
tied  by  itself  and  if  the  flies  are  troublesome  darken  the 
stable.  Don’t  put  the  young  things  out  into  the  hot  sun  with 
the  idea  that  the  little  grass  they  may  eat  will  compensate 
for  the  blood  sucked  by  the  myriads  of  flies  that  pester 
them.  We  have  had  less  trouble  and  better  results  with 
winter  calves  than  with  those  that  come  in  the  spring. 

Dismiss  all  prejudice  that  a skim-milk  calf  must  be  a 
stunted,  unsightly  thing.  We  are  making  as  great  advance- 
ment in  calf  rearing  as  in  butter  or  cheese-making,  and  old 
ideas  must  be  put  away. 

W.  A.  HENRY, 
Professor  of  Agriculture . 


11 


FERTILIZER  ANALYSES. 


The  fertilizers  whose  analyses  are  given  below  were  man- 
ufactured at  the  Carbon  Chemical  Works,  Janesville,  Wis., 
Harry  Daverkosen,  proprietor,  and  were  sampled  and  ana- 
lysed by  the  Station,  at  the  request  of  the  manufacturer: 


Station  No. 

Description. 

M’fr’s  Brand. 

Price  per 
ton. 

1 

Bone  Ash 

Tobacco  Fertilizer. 

$40.00 

60.00 

2 

Bone  Ash 

Tobacco  Fertilizer. 

4 

Bone  Ash 

Tobacco  Fertilizer 

50.00 

3 

Bone  and  meat 

Tobacco  Fertilizer. 

30.00 

The  value  of  such  fertilizers  as  these  depends  upon  the 
amounts  of  two  substances,  viz.,  nitrogen  and  phosphoric 
acid,  which  they  contain.  In  the  following  table  the  per- 
centage of  each  of  these  ingfedients  found  by  analvsis  is 
given.  The  amount  of  water  contained  in  the  fertilizers  is 
also  given  for  comparison. 


Water. 
Per  cent. 

Nitrogen. 
Per  cent. 

Phospho- 
ric acid. 
Per  cent. 

No.  1 

5.70 

2.29 

2. 50 

No.  2 

3.17 

0.36 

18.72 

No.  4 

2.51 

1.42 

22.27 

No.  3 

6.60 

5.58 

11.80 

The  mechanical  condition  of  none  of  these  fertilizers  is 
satisfactory.  Nos.  1 and  2 are  coarse  powders,  and  Nos.  3 
and  4 consist  chiefly  of  large  lumps  of  bone  and  refuse.  A 
thorough  grinding  would  greatly  improve  them  all,  both  as 
regards  the  ease  and  thoroughness  with  which  they  can  be 
mixed  with  the  soil  and  in  the  promptness  of  their  action 


12 


t>n  crops.  A large  lump  of  bone  or  bone  ash  may  lie  many 
years  in  the  soil  without  undergoing  much  change,  while 
the  same  material  in  a fine  powder  would  be  dissolved  and 
taken  up  by  crops  within  a much  shorter  time. 

1ST  os.  1,  2 and  4 are  classed  above  as  bone  ash.  Good  bone 
ash  should  contain  little  or  no  nitrogen  and  30  to  35  per  cent, 
of  phosphoric  acid.  It  is  evident  that  all  these  samples  are 
mixed  with  more  or  less  nitrogenous  matter,  as  is  shown  by 
the  amount  of  nitrogen  which  they  contain;  and  also  with 
some  inert  material,  as  is  shown  by  the  relatively  low  per- 
centage of  phosphoric  acid.  The  addition  of  nitrogenous 
matter  to  the  bone  ash  is  simply  the  substitution  of  one  fer- 
tilizing element  for  another.  The  addition  of  inert  matter, 
of  course,  reduces  the  percentages  of  the  valuable  ingredi- 
ents and  increases  the  amount  of  the  fertilizer  which  must 
be  handled  and  transported  in  order  to  obtain  a given  quan- 
tity of  phosphoric  acid  or  nitrogen. 

Bone  ash  is  a fertilizer  which  acts  very  slowly,  being  com- 
paratively insoluble,  and  it  is  not  to  be  recommended  for 
general  use  unless  it  has  been  treated  with  acid  and  thus 
converted  into  a superphosphate.  When  finely  ground  it 
becomes  gradually  available  in  the  soil,  and  if  it  could  be 
bought  at  a sufficiently  low  price  its  use  might  prove  profit- 
able, but  it  is  always  an  investment  for  a long  period  at  a 
low  rate  of  interest.  A good  quality  of  bone  ash  ought  not 
to  cost  more  than  about  $25  per  ton,  and  for  inferior  grades 
the  price  should  be  less  in  proportion  to  the  amount  of  phos- 
phoric acid  present. 

Fertilizer  No.  3,  consists  of  fragments  of  raw  bone  and 
apparently  of  cartilage  and  other  refuse  from  the  manufact- 
ure of  glue.  Were  it  finely  ground  it  would  be  a good  fertili- 
zer, worth,  probably,  $30-$35  per  ton,  but  in  its  present  very 
coarse  condition  it  cannot  be  recommended. 

These  fertilizers  are  called  by  the  manufacturer  tobacco 
fertilizers.  They  are  as  well  adapted  to  tobacco  as  to  any 
other  crop  and  as  well  to  any  other  crop  as  to  tobacco.  The 
idea  that  fertilizers  can  be  compounded  which  shall  be 
specially  suited  to  the  requirements  of  particular  crops, 
though  a favorite  one  with  manufacturers,  is  nevertheless  an 


13 


erroneous  one  based  on  an  imperfect  understanding  of  the 
relations  of  soil,  crop  and  fertilizer. 


CORRECTION. 

In  the  last  bulletin  of  this  Station  (No.  5)  were  given  the 
results  of  the  chemical  and  microscopical  examination  of  a 
"Stock-food  cake,”  manufactured  by  E.  W.  Blatchford  & 
Co.,  of  Chicago,  and  known  as  the  "Royal  Stock  Food.” 
As  the  result  of  the  examination  it  was  stated  that  the 
food  had  very  nearly  the  chemical  composition  of  new- 
process  linseed  meal,  but  that  it  contained  no  linseed  meal, 
being  composed  chiefly  of  cotton-seed  cake  and  ground 
beans. 

Since  the  publication  of  the  bulletin,  in  consequence  of 
representation  made  to  the  Station  by  Messrs.  Blatchford 
& Co.,  a renewed  microscopical  examination  has  been  made, 
which  shows  that  the  Station  was  in  error  in  stating  that 
the  food  contained  no  linseed  meal,  that  material  being  un- 
questionably present,  presumably  in  the  form  of  old-process 
meal,  as  claimed  by  the  manufacturers.  Several  other  in- 
gredients are  also  stated  by  Messrs.  Blatchford  & Co.  to 
enter  into  the  composition  of  the  food,  but  as  they  object  to 
having  their  formula  published,  we  can  only  state  that  they 
are  all  materials  of  recognized  feeding  value. 

Whether  these  parties  can  make  a better  mixture  of  feed- 
ing stuffs  than  the  farmer  can  make  for  himself,  is  a ques- 
tion to  be  decided  by  the  intending  purchaser.  It  should  be 
observed,  however,  that  the  result  of  the  chemical  anal}  sis 
and  the  conclusions  drawn  from  it  are  not  affected  by  the 
error  in  the  microscopical  examination.  It  still  true  that 
the  " Royal  Stock  Food  ” has  very  nearly  the  composition  of 
new-process  oil  meal,  the  only  noteworthy  difference  being 
a higher  percentage  of  fat,  which  might  be  advantageous 
in  some  cases.  The  "Food”  belongs  in  the  same  class  of 
feeding-stuffs  with  the  oil-meals  and  oil-cakes,  and  while  it 
is  doubtless  true  that  chemical  analysis  alone  can  not  finally 
fix  the  value  of  a feeding-stuff,  it  does  furnish  a reasonably 


u 


trustworthy  means  of  comparing  feeding-stuffs  of  the  same 
class.  It  is  possible  that  feeding  trials  may  show  the  “ Royal 
Stock  Food”  to  be  superior  to  other  foods  of  its  class;  but 
from  the  stand-noint  of  chemical  analysis  there  is  no  reason 
to  suppose  it  more  valuable  than  any  other  oil*  cake  having 
the  same  composition. 

H.  P.  ARMSBY, 

Prof,  of  Agr’l  Chemistry. 


The  Bulletins  of  this  Station  are  sent  free  to  all 
residents  of  the  State  who  desire  to  reeeive  them. 


UNIVERSITY  OF  WISCONSIN. 


Agricultural  Experiment  Station. 


BULLETIN  NO.  7. 


EXPERIMENTS  ON  CALF-FEEDING:  THE?  COOLEY 
SYSTEM  OF  CREAMING  MILK. 


MADISON,  WISCONSIN.  OCTOBER,  1385, 


DEMOCRAT  COMPANY,  STATE  PRINTERS. 


UNIVERSITY  OF  WISCONSIN 


Agricultural  Experiment  Station. 


COMMITTEE  OF  BOARD  OF  REGENTS  IN  CHARGE 
OF  THE  STATION. 


Hon.  HIRAM  SMITH,  Chairman, 
Hon.  H.  D.  HITT, 

Hon.  C.  H.  WILLIAMS,  - 


Sheboygan  Falls. 

Oakfield. 

Baraboo. 


OFFICERS  OF  THE  STATION. 

W.  A.  HENRY,  Agr.  B.,  - - Prof,  of  Agriculture. 

H.  P.  ARMSBY,  Ph.  D.,  - - Prof,  of  Agricultural  Chemistry. 

A.  B.  SEYMOUR,  B.  S.,  - - Prof,  of  Botany  and  Horticulture. 


F.  G SHORT,  ; 
F.  W.  A.  WOLL,  f 
LESLIE  H.  ADAMS, 
WM.  H.  MOON,  - 


Chemists 

Foreman  of  Farm. 
Dairyman. 


Office, 

Chemical  Laboratory, 
Botanical  Laboratory, 


16  Agricultural  Hall. 
18  Agricultural  Hall. 
12  Agricultural  HalL 


Experimental  Fields  and  Barn  on  the  University  Farm. 


EXPERIMENTS  ON  CALF  FEEDING. 


In  the  calf  feeding  trials  reported  in  Bulletins  Nos.  1 and 
6 from  this  Station  only  a few  individuals  were  fed  in  each 
case  and  these  were  from  our  own  stock;  the  objection 
might  be  raised  to  these  that  they  were  hardly  fair  examples 
for  the  average  farmer  or  for  those  who  might  wish  to  buy 
up  calves  from  the  cheese  districts  for  feeding.  It  has  been 
held  by  some  that  calves  from  the  cheese  sections  of  the 
state  are  of  no  value,  except  the  heifer  calves  for  milkers. 
It  was  determined  that  this  trial  should  include  the  objec- 
tionable calves  before  mentioned  and  some  of  the  common 
stock  about  Madison.  Accordingly  Mr.  H.  J.  Anderson,  a 
butcher  at  Lake  Mills,  Jefferson  county,  secured  for  us  nine 
calves  from  farmers  in  that  vicinity  supplying  cheese  fac- 
tories with  milk.  Seven  ordinary  calves  were  purchased 
about  Madison.  As  they  come  to  us  they  were  from  four 
days  to  four  weeks  old.  They  were  on  the  whole  a fair  lot, 
those  from  Lake  Mills  being  superior  to  those  from  the  vicin- 
ity of  Madison.  Fourteen  of  the  sixteen  were  males  and 
were  castrated  during  the  second  week  of  the  feeding  trial. 

Each  calf  stood  in  a stall  by  itself,  f astene  d by  a strap 
about  the  neck  and  a snap  to  a ring  which  slipped  up  and 
down  on  an  upright  post.  They  were  kept  in  the  barn  dur- 
ing the  day  and  the  room  was  darkened  so  that  the  flies 
would  not  trouble;  at  night  they  were  turned  in  the  barn- 
yard until  they  were  old  enough  to  eat  grass  when  they 
were  furnished  good  night  pasture. 

At  first  part  full  milk  was  fed  to  the  youngest,  but  this 
was  soon  changed  to  skim  milk.  The  milk  ration  of  each 
calf  was  at  first  15  pounds  of  sweet  skim  milk  daily  given  in 
three  feeds.  This  was  carefully  warmed  to  blood  heat  in 
every  instance.  For  several  weeks  past  the  amount  of  milk 
fed  has  been  gradually  reduced  until  now,  at  the  close  of 


6 


14  weeks  it  is  but  little  over  10  pounds  per  day  given  in  two 
feeds.  That  the  milk,  from  Cooley  cans,  was  well  skimmed, 
may  be  seen  from  the  fact  that  we  have  made  5 pounds 
of  butter  this  summer  from  each  100  pounds  of  milk  set. 
We  at  once  began  to  teach  the  calves  to  eat  other  food. 
Contrary  to  past  experience,  they  showed  no  liking  for 
whole  oats,  which  we  hold  to  be  the  best  calf  food  aside 
from  milk,  so  we  were  forced  to  supply  them  with  ground 
grain.  As  usual,  they  showed  no  liking  for  the  food  placed 
in  their  mouths  at  first,  but  in  trying  to  work  it  out  they  got 
a taste  of  and  soon  took  to  it. 

As  to  the  grain  ration,  instead  of  limiting  it  as  with  the 
milk,  our  whole  anxiety  has  been  to  get  the  calves  to  eat  to 
their  utmost  without  getting  off  feed. 

As  soon  as  they  grew  tired  of  one  grain  or  combination 
we  changed  to  another.  The  grain  ration  was  always 
placed  before  them  just  after  giving  them  the  milk. 

In  addition  to  the  grain  ration  (always  ground,  of  course) 
they  were  given  a wisp  of  hay,  just  a few  mouthfuls  at  first, 
after  each  meal;  later,  green  grass  in  abundance  was  sub- 
stituted. 

In  the  table  given  herewith  is  the  amount  of  food  con- 
sumed to  date  with  estimated  cost: 

FOOD  EATEN  BY  16  CALVES  FROM  JUNE  22,  1885,  TO  SEPTEM- 


BER 28-14  WEEKS. 

Sweet  skim-milk,  20,645  lbs. 

Ground  oats,  175  lbs.,  at  $20  per  ton $1  75 

Ground  coro,  373  lbs.,  at  $20  per  ton 3 73 

Ground  corn  and  oats,  240  lbs  , at  $20  per  ton 2 40 

Ground  wheat,  196  lbs.,  at  $20  per  ton 1 96 

Ground  barley,  85  lbs.,  at  $20  per  ton 85 

Bran,  506  lbs.  at  $12 3 03 

Shorts,  563  lbs.,  at  $14  per  ton 3 94 

Hay,  420  lbs.,  at  $8  per  ton 1 68 

Green  corn  fodder,  280  lbs . , at  $2  per  ton 28 

Grass,  3,510  lbs.,  at  $2  per  ton 3 51 

New  milk,  420  lbs.,  at  50  cents  per  100 2 10 

57  nights’  pasture,  at  8 cents  per  night 4 56 


Value  of  all  food  except  skim-milk 


$29  79 


7 


TABLE  SHOWING  FORTNIGHTLY  GAIN  OF  16  CALVES  AND 
DAILY  GAIN  PER  CALF  FOR  14  WEEKS,  JUNE  22-SEPT.  28. 


Date. 

Weight. 

Gain  of  lot 
in  14  days. 

Daily  gain 
per  calf. 

Lbs. 

Lbs. 

Lbs. 

June  22 

1,934 

July  6 

2,220 

286 

1.2 

July  20 

2, 552 

332 

1.4 

Aug.  3 

2,852 

300 

1.3 

Aug.  17 

3,179 

327 

1.4 

Aug.  31 

3,567 

388 

1.7 

Sept  14 

4,064 

497 

2.2 

Sept.  28 

4,494 

430 

1.9 

A total  gain  of  2,560  pounds  in  14  weeks. 

This  2,560  pounds  at  $4.00  per  100,  is  worth  $102.40;  sub- 
tracting from  this  the  cost  of  hay  and  grain  eaten,  $29.79, 
we  have  $72.61  left  as  pay  for  the  20,645  pounds  of  skim- 
milk.  This  makes  the  milk  worth  35.1  cents  per  100  pounds 
or  over  35  cents  per  100  for  skim-milk  when  owing  to  the  low 
price  of  cheese  our  farmers  have  received  only  from  30 
to  60  cents  per  100  for  full  milk  at  the  factories. 

If  it  is  urged  that  $4.00  per  hundred  is  too  great  a price 
it  may  be  maintained  equally  well  that  a cent  a pound  for 
oats,  corn,  etc.,  and  $8.00  per  ton  for  the  hay  eaten  is  a larger 
sum  than  should  be  charged.  It  is  impossible  to  strike  more 
than  average  figures  in  such  cases.  Hay  in  northwestern 
Wisconsin  is  worth  only  about  $5.00  per  ton  and  bran  from 
$6.00  to  $10.00,  while  in  the  southeartern  part  of  the  state  the 
prices  are  much  higher.  It  should  he  borne  in  mind  that 
these  results  were  obtained  by  careful  management  and  feed- 
ing all  the  grain  and  grass  the  calves  would  stand,  together 
with  a limited  supply  of  skim- milk. 

It  must  be  admitted  by  all  who  see  these  figures,  or  better 


8 


yet,  those  who  see  the  calves  themselves,  that  we  have  a 
thrifty  lot  of  young  things  and  that  they  are  paying  us  well 
these  dull  times  for  all  they  eat.  In  the  cheese  sections  of 
the  state  such  calves  as  these  were  can  be  picked  up  by  hun- 
dreds for  a dollar  or  two  a piece  when  from  three  days  to  a 
week  old.  The  butcher  who  bought  for  us  at  Lake  Mills,  killed 
500  this  season.  Cannot  some  of  our  farmers  find  it  profit- 
able to  take  these  calves  and  by  a regular  system  of  feeding, 
raise  them? 

The  excuse  for  so  much  being  said  at  this  Station  about 
calf  rearing  is,  that  there  is  need  of  it.  Drive  along  our 
country  roads  and  notice  the  calves;  many  are  stunted  and 
stand  in  the  hot  sun  in  summer  time,  vainly  fighting  flies. 
No  wonder  many  thrifty  farmers  will  not  believe  a calf  can 
be  reared  on  skim  milk.  Mr.  H.  B.  Gurler,  President  of  the 
Illinois  Darymen’s  Association,  DeKalb,  Illinois,  offered 
skim  milk  at  his  factories  this  season  at  thirteen  cents  per 
100  pounds  and  the  farmers  were  loth  to  take  it  at  that  price. 
Surely  all  that  was  needed  to  have  made  money  from  the 
milk  was  proper  knowledge  put  into  practice.  In  many 
manufacturing  operations  the  profits  wholly  or  in  part  are 
derived  from  the  utlization  of  the  by-products  that  careless 
persons  might  throwaway  without  a thought.  So  in  butter 
making,  the  difference  between  a small  profit  or  a large 
one  may  rest  in  the  proper  handling  of  the  skim  milk. 

In  every  cheese  district  of  the  state  there  should  be  cream- 
eries or  private  parties  that  could  feed  all  the  best  calves 
and  thus  make  it  profitable  for  those  now  producing  milk  to 
use  good  bulls.  By  offering  an  extra  price  for  calves  sired  by 
choice  males  or  furnishing  males  one  could  secure  a large 
number  of  heifer  calves  that  would  be  of  great  value  when 
mature.  As  conducted  in  most  cases  now  there  is  no  induce- 
ment in  the  cheese  districts  to  improve  the  herds.  Sharp 
competition  and  low  prices  of  dairy  goods  will  drive  poor 
stock  out  of  our  state  or  the  owners  of  such  out  of  the  busi- 
ness. 

W.  A.  HENRY, 
Professor  of  Agriculture. 


THE  COOLEY  SYSTEM  OF  CREAMING  MILK. 


That  form  of  the  deep  setting  of  milk  known  as  the 
Cooley  system  has,  in  one  form  or  another,  come  into  very 
general  use  in  this  country,  a fact  which  attests  the  general 
satisfaction  which  it  has  given.  At  the  same  time,  few,  if 
any,  exact  determinations  of  the  efficiency  of  the  process  in 
separating  the  fat  from  milk  have  been  made,  so  far  as  I 
am  aware.  The  yield  of  butter  has  naturally  been  the  cri- 
terion by  which  the  process  has  been  judged,  and  undoubt- 
edly this  is  the  proper  standard  by  which  to  measure  its 
commercial  value. 

It  is  none  the  less  true,  however,  that  the  amount  of  but- 
ter obtained  depends  upon  various  circumstances  besides  the 
efficiency  of  the  process  employed  to  raise  the  cream,  and  it 
is  not  unimportant  to  be  able  to  judge  of  this  part  of  the 
process  by  itself.  In  this  way;  by  learning,  first,  how  much 
butter  is  contained  in  the  milk  itself;  second,  how  much  of 
this  is  separated  in  the  cream  or  remains  in  the  skim-milk; 
and  third,  how  much  is  lost  in  the  buttermilk;  we  are  able 
to  see  the  exact  point  where  there  is  the  best  chance  of 
making  an  improvment.  It  is  the  second  of  these  points 
which  forms  the  subject  of  the  experiments  about  to  be  de- 
scribed, viz.,  the  separation  of  the  cream  from  the  milk. 

In  making  such  an  examination  as  this  of  a method  of 
creaming  milk,  we  need,  first  of  all,  a standard  by  which  to 
measure  the  results  obtained.  Neither  the  bulk  nor  weight  of 
the  cream  thrown  up  will  answer,  not  only  because  they  are 
very  variable  under  different  conditions  of  setting,  but  be- 
cause they  depend  upon  the  quality  of  the  milk  used*  while 
we  wish  to  be  independent  of  this  influence  in  our  compari- 
sons. Neither  will  the  amount  of  butter  which  can  be  made 
from  the  cream  serve  as  a standard,  for  the  butter  contains 
a variable  amount  of  water  and  buttermilk,  even  after  the 


10 


most  careful  washing  and  working.  The  best,  and  in  fact 
the  only  standard  by  which  to  estimate  accurately  the 
creaming  of  milk  is  the  amount  of  pure  fat  contained  in  the 
milk  and  in  the  cream  which  it  throws  up.  The  comparison 
is  made  as  follows:  Suppose  that  we  have  set  20  pounds  of 
a milk  which  chemical  analysis  shows  to  contains  4 per 
cent,  of  fat.  The  20  pounds  of  milk,  then,  contain  0.8  pounds 
of  pure  fat.  After  the  usual  time  we  draw  off  the  skim- 
milk  and  weigh  and  analyze  it.  We  find  we  have,  let  us 
say,  14  pounds  of  skim-milk  containing  0.3  per  cent,  of  fat. 
The  14  pounds  of  skim-milk,  then,  contain  0.042  pounds  of 
pure  fat,  and  the  cream  must  contain  the  remainder  of  the 
0.8  pounds  present  in  the  milk,  i.  e.,  0.758  pounds.  We  have, 
then,  divided  the  fat  of  the  milk  into  two  portions,  viz.:  0.042 
pounds  in  the  skim- milk  and  0.758  pounds  in  the  cream. 

But  0.758  pounds  is  94.75  percent,  of  the  original 0.8  pounds, 
and,  therefore,  we  mav  say  more  briefly,  that  we  have  re- 
covered 94.75  per  cent,  of  the  fat  of  the  milk  in  the  cream. 
This  number,  which  expresses  the  percentage  of  the  total 
fat  of  the  milk  which  is  recovered  in  the  cream  is  called  the 
percentage  creaming,  and  is  our  measure  of  the  efficiency  of 
the  creaming  process.  Evidently,  the  greater  the  percent- 
age creaming,  the  better,  other  things  being  equal,  does  the 
creaming  process  work. 

During  the  past  two  years,  in  connection  with  feeding  ex- 
periments with  milch  cows,  I have  have  had  occasion  to 
make  between  two  and  three  hundred  settings  of  the  milk 
of  single  cows  by  the  Cooley  system,  the  milk  and  skim- 
milk  being  weighed  and  analyzed,  as  in  the  example  above, 
thus  furnishing  data  for  judging  of  the  efficiency  of  the 
system.  Three  cows  were  used  in  these  experiments,  viz. : 
“ Nibbie,”  a registered  Jersey,  and  “ Jersey ” and  “Sylvia,” 
Jersey  grades.  All  were  comparatively  new  in  milk.  As 
regards  the  feeding,  four  periods  of  two  to  four  weeks  each 
were  observed  with  each  animal.  It  does  not  appear  nec- 
essary to  give  here  a statement  of  the  several  rations,  as 
there  are  no  indications  that  they  affected  the  creaming. 
All  were  on  dry  feed  with  the  exception  of  nine  pounds  per 


11 


day  of  clover  ensilage  to  Mbbie  and  Sylvia.  The  milk 
stood  eleven  hours  before  skimming. 

It  would  occupy  too  much  space  and  serve  no  useful  pur- 
pose to  give  here  in  detail  the  result  of  each  one  of  these 
experiments.  It  will  be  sufficient  to  present  the  average 
creaming  in  each  of  the  four  periods  with  each  animal, 
together  with  a few  other  important  points,  as  in  the  follow- 
table: 


PERCENTAGE  CREAMING  OF  MILK.  AVERAGE. 


Period. 

Amount 
of  milk 
set. 

Fat  of 
skim- 
milk. 

Cream- 

ing. 

Temper- 
ature of 
milk 
when  set. 

Temper- 
ature of 
wacer 
in  tank. 

Lbs. 

Per  cent. 

Per  cent. 

° F 

° F. 

Jersey.  1884. 


I 

17.85 

0.69 

92.02 

88.5 

II 

18.79 

0.46 

94.03 

90.3 

Ill 

17.87 

0.52 

93.79 

90.1 

IV 

17.46 

0.42 

94.58 

91.6 

Nibbie.  1885. 

I 

18.33 

0.24 

97.49 

89.6 

II 

19.51 

0.19 

97.88 

91.9 

Ill 

19.38 

0.19 

97.91 

93.0 

IV 

16.53 

0.25 

97.50 

94.6 

Sylvia.  1885. 


I 

15.27 

0.31 

96.91 

88.3 

II 

14.56 

0.43 

95.32 

91.2 

Ill 

14.39 

0.26 

96.98 

92.8 

IV 

13.30 

0.27 

97.24 

93.9 

33.3 
34.5 

34.3 
34.5 

34.5 

36.7 

36.9 

36.9 

34.3 

36.9 

36.9 

36.9 


12 


In  considering  these  results,  it  should  be  remembered  that 
the  milk  was  Jersey  milk,  which,  according  to  general  ex- 
perience, creams  more  completely  than  that  of  most  other 
breeds.  Moreover,  the  water  in  the  tank  was  kept  raiher 
colder  than  would  usually  be  the  case.  For  both  these 
reasons  the  percentage  creaming  obtained  in  these  experi- 
ments was  probably  somewhat  higher  than  would  be  at- 
tained in  general  practice  with  mixed  milk.  Taking  the 
results  as  they  stand,  they  are  exceedingly  satisfactory. 
From  92  to  almost  98  per  cent,  of  the  fat  of  the  milk  was 
recovered  in  the  cream  in  eleven  hours,  and  the  percentage 
of  fat  in  the  skim-milk  was  reduced  to  between  0.7  and  0.2  per 
cent.,  or  as  low  as  is  possible  by  any  process  except  the  use 
of  the  centrifugal.  As  already  intimated,  these  experi- 
ments were  undertaken  with  other  objects  in  view  than  in- 
vestigating the  creaming  of  milk.  Hence  no  comparisons 
have  been  made  of  the  Cooley  with  other  systems,  or  of  the 
efficiency  of  the  Cooley  system  under  differing  conditions. 

In  regard  to  the  first  point,  it  may  be  said  that  all  forms 
of  deep  setting  would  probably  give  about  the  same  results 
with  the  same  milk  under  like  conditions.  In  some  recent 
trials,  Schrodt,  a German  experimenter,  obtained  somewhat 
better  results  (2-8  per  cent.)  by  the  Cooley  process  than  by 
the  so-called  Schwartz  system,  in  which  the  milk  is  set  in 
cans  open  at  the  top  and  surrounded  by  cold  water  up  to  a 
point  an  inch  or  two  below  the  level  of  the  milk.  His  trials 
were  hardly  numerous  enough,  however,  to  show  that  this 
and  similar  methods  of  setting  are  really  inferior  to  those  in 
which  the  can  of  milk  is  entirely  immersed  in  the  cold  water 

The  most  important  condition  affecting  the  results  of  deep 
setting  appears  to  be  the  difference  of  temperature  between 
the  milk  and  the  water  of  the  tank.  Any  thing  which  di- 
minishes this  difference,  whethsr  by  allowing  the  milk  to 
cool  off  after  milking  or  by  permitting  the  temperature  of 
the  water  to  become  too  high,  seems  to  affect  the  creaming 
unfavorably.  This  is  well  shown  in  the  experiments  of 
Prof.  Henry,  published  in  the  last  report  of  this  Station, 
where  losses  of  from  3 to  30  per  cent,  of  the  butter  were  ob- 
served in  consequence  of  allowing  the  water  in  the  tank  to 


13 


become  warmed  up  5°  or  10°  Fahrenheit,  or  of  allowing  the 
milk  to  cool  before  setting  it. 

How  favorable  a result  may,  on  the  other  hand,  be  obtained 
when  due  attention  is  paid  to  keeping  the  temperature  of 
the  water  as  low  as  possible  and  to  prompt  setting  of  the 
milk  was  strikingly  illustrated  in  the  official  tests  of  the 
Jersey  cows,  Hilda  D.  and  Evelina  of  Verna,  the  past  sum- 
mer. According  to  the  analyses  of  Dr.  S.  M.  Babcock  of  the 
New  York  Agricultural  Experiment  Station,  in  the  one  case 
96.79  per  cent,  and  in  the  other  case  99  per  cent,  of  the  fat 
of  the  milk  was  recovered  in  the  butter,  so  that,  after  allow- 
ing for  the  loss  of  fat  in  the  buttermilk,  the  creaming 
must  have  been  very  perfect.  In  fact  the  skim  milk  com 
tained  less  than  0.1  per  cent,  of  fat  in  nearly  every  case. 

In  the  experiments  reported  here  the  variations  of  temper- 
ature were  too  small  to  have  any  appreciable  effect  upon 
the  creaming. 

Finally,  it  is  worth  noting  that  there  were  decided  indi- 
vidual differences  between  the  three  cows  used.  The  most 
complete  creaming  was  obtained  with  Nibbie,  and  the  poorest 
with  Jersey,  while  Sylvia  stands  between  the  two  in  this 
respect.  Such  differences  are  probably  connected  with  dif- 
ferences in  the  size  of  the  fat  globules  of  the  milk,  and  in 
the  breeding  of  butter  cows  this  is  a point  well  worth  atten- 
tion. 

H.  P.  ARMSBY, 

Professor  of  Agricultural  Chemistry. 


/ 


UNIVERSITY  OF  WISCONSIN 


Agricultural  Experiment  Station, 


BULLETIN  NO.  8. 


GIL  MEAL  ys.  CORN  MEAL  FOR  MILK. 


MADISON,  WISCONSIN,  DECEMBER,  1 SS5, 


DEMOCRAT  COMPANY.  STATE  PRINTERS, 


UNIVERSITY  OF  WISCONSIN. 


Agricultural  Experiment  Station. 


COMMITTEE  OF  BOARD  OF  REGENTS  IN  CHARGE 
OF  THE  STATION. 

Hon.  HIRAM  SMITH,  Chairman,  - - - Sheboygan  Falls. 

Hon.  H.  D.  HITT,  -----  Oakfield. 

Hon.  C.  H.  WILLIAMS,  - - - - Baraboo. 


OFFICERS  OF  THE  STATION. 

AV.  A.  HENRY,  Agr.  B.,  - - Prof,  of  Agriculture. 

H.  P.  ARMSBY,  Pli.  D.,  - - Prof,  of  Agricultural  Chemistry. 

A.  B.  SEYMOUR,  B.  S.,  - - Prof,  of  Botany  and  Horticulture. 


Chemists. 

Foreman  of  Farm. 
- Dairyman. 


Office,  - - - - - - 16  Agricultural  Hall. 

Chemical  Laboratory,  18  Agricultural  Hall. 

Botanical  Laboratory,  - - - 12  Agricultural  Hall. 

Experimental  Fields  and  Barn  on  the'JJniversity  Farm. 


F.  G.  SHORT,  } 

F.  W.  A.  WOLL,  J " 
LESLIE  H.  ADAMS,  - 
WM.  H.  MOON, 


VfWThe  Bulletins  of  this  Station  are  sent  free  to  all  resi- 
dents of  the  State  who  request  it. 


OIL-MEAL  VS.  CORN  MEAL  FOR  MILK. 


In  Bulletin  No.  4 of  this  station,  and  also  in  its  second  an- 
nual report,  pp.  78  to  95,  was  given  an  account  of  experi- 
ments upon  the  value  of  two  highly  nitrogenous  feeding 
stuffs,  viz.,  cotton- seed  meal  and  malt  sprouts,  compared 
with  corn  meal  as  food  for  milch  cows.  Those  experiments 
failed  to  show  any  gain  in  either  quantity  or  quality  of  the 
milk  which  could  be  attributed  to  the  use  of  those  sub- 
stances. In  closing  the  report  of  the  experiments,  however, 
the  following  words  were  used: 

“In  conclusion,  it  should  be  stated  expressly  that  these  re- 
sults and  considerations  are  presented  simply  as  the  teach- 
ings of  this  single  feeding  trial,  and  furthermore,  that  some 
of  the  most  important  conclusions  are  largely  based  on  re- 
sults obtained  with  one  animal,  while  it  is  uncertain  whether 
those  upon  the  other  two  confirm  them.  In  short,  this  ex- 
periment is  to  be  regarded  as  a preliminary  experiment:  as 
pointing  out  a promising  direction  for  future  work  rather 
than  itself  establishing  anything.  More  extended  and  ac- 
curate experiments  are  now  in  progress,  designed  to  test  the 
indications  of  this  one.  Until  these  are  completed  it  will  be 
well  to  suspend  judgment  upon  the  relative  merits  of  oil- 
meal  compared  with  corn  meal.” 

The  following  pages  contain  an  account  of  further  exper- 
iments on  the  same  general  subject,  executed  during  the 
winter  of  1885,  beginning  February  1 and  ending  May  2.  It 
was  hoped  to  lay  the  results  obtained  before  the  farmers  of  the 
state  during  the  summer  or  autumn,  but  numerous  unavoid- 
able delays  in  the  execution  of  the  many  chemical  analyses 
necessary  in  an  elaborate  feeding  experiment  have  delayed 
publication  until  the  present  somewhat  unseasonable  date. 

The  question  which  both  sets  of  experiments  were  de- 
signed to  answer  is  whether  highly  nitrogenous  foods,  like 


6 


the  various  kinds  of  oil  cake,  have  a higher  nutritive  value 
than  starchy  foods  like  corn  meal  and  bran.  In  the  earlier 
experiments  cotton-seed  meal  and  malt  sprouts  were  com- 
pared with  ccrn  meal.  In  those  here  reported  a feed  more 
familiar  to  our  farmers,  viz.,  new  process  oil  meal  was  se- 
lected for  examination. 

PLAN  OF  EXPERIMENTS. 

Throughout  the  experiments  there  was  weighed  out  to 
each  cow  per  day  5 pounds  of  “new  process”  wheat  bran,  4 
pounds  of  corn  meal,  8f  pounds  of  clover  ensilage,  and  171- 
pounds  of  mixed  hay.  Considerable  of  the  hay  was  usually 
left  uneaten,  so  that  the  hay  feeding  was  practically  ad  li- 
bitum. The  small  amount  of  ensilage  was  given  as  a relish 
rather  than  as  furnishing  any  large  amount  of  nutriment. 
The  above  may  be  called  the  fundamental  ration.  To  it  were 
added  the  articles  of  feed  which  it  was  desired  to  test,  as 
follows: 

In  period  I,  3 pounds  of  corn  meal;  in  period  II,  3 pounds 
of  new  process  oil  meal;  in  period  III,  3 pounds  of  corn 
meal  and  2i  pounds  of  oil  meal;  in  period  IY,  the  same  as 
in  period  I,  viz.,  3 pounds  of  corn  meal. 

The  intention  was  to  test  in  period  II  the  effect  of  substi- 
tuting oil  meal  for  corn  meal,  and  in  period  III  the  effect  of 
adding  oil  meal  to  corn  meal.  The  varying  amounts  of  hay 
eaten  in  the  several  periods,  however,  interfered  somewhat 
with  this  design,  the  amount  of  food  actually  digested  by 
the  animals  being  very  little  greater  in  period  III  than  in 
period  II,  and  in  both  decidedly  less  than  in  periods  I and 
IY  with  which  they  were  to  be  compared.  Nevertheless, 
some  interesting  results  were  obtained. 

ANIMALS. 

Three  cows  were  used  for  these  experiments:  Nibble, 
Sylvia  and  Cowry.  Nibbie  and  Cowry  are  registered  Jerseys 
and  are  what  are  known  as  “standard  cows;”  that  is,  they 
have  yielded  14  pounds  or  more  of  butter  in  seven  days.  Syl- 
via is  about  15-16  Jersey,  and  though  not  yielding  so  much 


7 


milk  or  butter  as  the  other  two,  would  still  be  considered  air 
excellent  cow.  Other  particulars  concerning  them  are  as 
follows: 


Name. 

Breed. 

Age. 

Calved. 

Served. 

Nibbie 

Jersey 

7 years 

Nov.  8,  1884 

May  5,  1885 

Sylvia 

Jersey  Grade. 

7 years 

Nov.  17,  1884 

Apr.  15,  1885 

Cowry 

Jersey 

9 years 

Nov.  2,  1884 

; Meh.10,  1885 

FODDERS. 

The  following  is  the  average  composition  of  the  fodders^ 
used : 


Hay. 

Ensilage. 

Bran. 

Corn  Meal 

Oil  Meal 

Water 

Dry  matter 

18.20 

81.80 

77.66 

22.34 

14.61 

85.39 

18.75 

81.25 

13.40 

86.60 

100.00 

100.00 

ICO. 00 

100.00 

100.00 

One  hundred  parts 
of  dry  matter  con- 
tain: 

Ash 

5.54 

8.50 

3.81 

4.98 

3.88 

Protein 

8.11 

15.62 

18.33 

11.08 

35.61 

Crude  fiber 

29.29 

22.94 

10.31 

2.95 

9.28 

Nitrogen  - free  ex- 
tract   

Fat 

55.40 

1.66 

48.86 

4.58 

63.74 

3.81 

75.71 

5.28 

46.67 

4.56 

100.00 

100.00 

100.00 

100.00 

100.00 

The  hay,  ensilage  and  corn  meal  were  the  products  of  the 
farm.  The  hay  was  mixed  hay.  The  ensilage  was  from  red 
clover,  put  into  the  silo  in  the  summer  of  1883  without  cut- 
ting; it  had  kept  excellently,  was  but  very  slightly  sour, 
and  was  apparently  relished  by  the  cows.  The  corn  meal 
was  from  Sibley’s  Pride  of  the  North  corn  (a  dent  corn),  and 
was  usually  ground  in  a small  iron  ihill  by  wind  power.  The 
bran  was  from  the  Washburn  mill  at  Minneapolis,  the  oil 
meal  from  the  St.  Paul  Linseed  Oil  Co.  All  the  fodders  were 
of  excellent  quality. 


8 


CONDUCT  OF  EXPERIMENTS. 

Each  period  was  three  weeks  long,  with  the  exception  of 
the  first,  which  was  extended  to  four  weeks.  The  full  effect 
of  a change  of  feed  is  not  realized  at  once,  and  hence  it  is 
necessary  in  experiments  of  this  sort  to  continue  the  same 
feeding  for  some  time  in  order  to  get  trustworthy  results. 

Each  cow’s  hay  was  weighed  out  separately  for  each  half 
day,  in  bags,  a week’s  supply  at  a time,  and  a sample  was  at 
the  same  time  taken  for  chemical  analysis.  The  grain  and 
ensilage  were  weighed  out  from  day  to  day  as  needed,  a 
small  sample  being  at  the  same  time  set  aside  in  a tightly 
closed  jar  or  cask.  At  the  end  of  one  or  two  weeks  a sub- 
sample  was  taken  from  the  united  daily  samples  for  analy- 
sis. The  cows  were  fed  twice  daily,  at  5:30  A.  M.  and  at 
4: 30  P.  M.  Before  the  night  feed  was  given,  all  uneaten  hay 
was  removed  from  the  feed  boxes  and  set  aside  for  sampling 
At  the  end  of  a week  a sample  of  the  uneaten  hay  from  each 
cow  was  taken  for  analysis.  In  all,  eighty-six  samples  of 
fodders  and  uneaten  residues  have  been  more  or  less  com- 
pletely analysed  during  these  experiments,  involving  the 
making  of  342  single  determinations.  The  figures  given  in 
the  table  on  page  7 are  therefore  each  the  average  of  a num- 
ber of  determinations. 

It  is  important  to  know,  in  addition  to  how  much 
food  is  eaten,  what  amount  of  it  is  digested  and 
what  proportion  passes  away  from  the  animal  unused 
in  the  dung.  In  the  experiments  of  1884  this  was  estimated 
from  the  results  of  digestion  experiments  with  sheep.  In 
those  now  under  consideration  the  actual  amount  of  food 
digested  by  two  of  the  cows  (Nibble  and  Sylvia)  was  deter- 
mined on  the  last  six  days  of  each  period.  For  this  pur- 
pose a watchman  was  stationed  with  the  animals  day  and 
night,  provided  with  suitable  arrangements  for  collecting 
all  the  dung  excreted  separate  from  the  urine.  The  excre- 
tion for  each  half  day  was'weighe  l «md  u,  sample  at  once 
taken  for  analysis.  In  all,  sixteen  samples  of  dung  were 
analysed,  making  in  all  128  singlo  determinations  in  addi- 
tion to  the  fodder  analyses  already  mentioned. 


9 


The  cows  were  milked  twice  daily  at  5:30  A.  M..and  4:30 
P.  M.  The  milk  from  each  cow  was  at  once  weighed  and  a 
sample  of  the  mixed  night’s  and  morning’s  milk  sub- 
jected to  chemical  analysis.  The  milk  from  each  milking 
of  Mbbie  and  Sylvia  was  also  set  at  once  for  cream  in 
small  Cooley  cans,  and  the  cream  from  four  successive 
milkings,  after  becoming  slightly  sour,  was  churned  in  a 
small  rectangular  churn  and  the  well- worked  but  unsalted 
butter  weighed.  Each  lot  of  butter  and  skim-milk  was  also 
subjected  to  chemical  analysis.  In  all,  there  were  analysed 
252  samples  of  milk,  169  samples  of  skim-milk,  and  69  sam- 
ples of  butter,  making  a total  of  823  single  determinations. 

The  temperature  of  the  stable  was  noted  each  day  at  7 A. 
M.,  2 and  9 P.  M.,  and  the  average  of  these  three  taken  to 
represent  the  average  daily  temperature.  When  the 
weather  permitted,  the  cows  were  usually  let  out  during  a 
part  of  the  day  for  exercise. 

The  cows  were  weighed  daily,  immediately  before  water- 
ing, and  then  given  all  the  water  (at  40°  F.)  which  they 
wished,  the  amount  drunk  being  determined  in  most  cases. 

It  will  readily  be  seen  that  daily  weighings  of  animals, 
food,  water,  dung,  milk,  cream  and  butter,  for  over  thirteen 
weeks,  as  well  as  the  many  chemical  analyses  mentioned 


above,  involved  no  small  amount  of  work.  The  following 
summary  of  it  may  not  be  without  interest. 

Of  Feed  

Uneaten  hay . . . 

Dung 

Milk  , 

Cream . 

Butter. ' 

Water  drunk. . . 
Cows 

Weighings. 

2, 199 

233 

918 

362 

: 228 

280 

Of  Milk  when  set  . . 
Cooley  tank. . . . 
Barn 

4,401 

Temperatures  Observed. 

362 

188 

279 

829 


10 


Chemical  Analyses. 


Samples. 


Single  deter- 
minations. 


Fodders  and  residues 

Dung 

Milk 

Skim  milk 

Butter 


86 

342 

16 

128 

252 

585 

169 

169 

69 

69 

592 


1,293 


It  may  be  added  that  each  of  the  1,293  “ single  determina- 
tions” required  the  taking  of  from  three  to  seven  weights,, 
very  accurately,  upon  a delicate  balance. 

The  chemical  analyses  were  executed  by  Mr.  F.  G.  Short, 
chemist  of  the  Station;  the  weighings  of  feed,  water  and 
cows  were  made  by  Mr.  L.  H.  Adams,  Foreman;  while  the 
whole  care  of  the  milk,  cream  and  butter,  including  weigh- 
ing, sampling,  creaming  and  churning,  was  taken  by 
Mr.  W.  H.  Moon,  Dairyman.  My  thanks  are  due  to  all 
these  gentlemen  for  the  care  and  faithfulness  with  which 
each  carried  out  his  part  of  the  experiment. 

The  detailed  results  of  all  the  weighings  and  analyses  just 
mentioned  are  not  given  here,  as  they  would  only  tend  to 
conceal  the  general  result  of  the  experiment  behind  a mass 
of  detail.  The  teaching  of  the  experiment  can  be  best 
gathered  from  a comparison  of  the  average  results  for  each 
period,  but  in  order  to  get  these  averages,  and  still  more  in 
order  to  check  the  trustworthiness  of  their  teaching,  it  was 
necessary  to  have  the  single  results.  Our  discussion  will 
here  be  confined  chiefly  to  the  last  week  of  each  period,  for 
which  we  have  very  complete  data. 


TEMPERATURE  OF  STABLE. 

The  temperature  of  the  stable  has  undoubtedly  a decided 
influence  on  the  milk  production.  The  following  were  the 
average  temperatures  of  the  stable  during  the  last  week,  the 
last  two  weeks  and  the  whole  of  each  period: 


11 


Last 

Week. 

Last  two 
Weeks. 

Whole. 

Period  I r 

53°  F. 

40°  F. 

35°  F. 

Period  II 

56°  F. 

49°  F. 

46 J F. 

Period  III 

54°  F. 

50°  F. 

46°  F. 

Period  IV 

58°  F. 

59°  F. 

55°  F. 

For  the  last  week  of  each  period,  the  temperature  was 
practically  the  same.  For  the  last  two  weeks  and  for  the 
whole  periods,  the  temperature  in  periods  IL  and  III  is  al- 
most exactly  the  average  of  that  of  periods  I and  IV. 

WATER  DRUNK. 

The  following  are  the  average  daily  amounts  of  water 
drunk  in  each  week  of  the  experiment: 


Nibbie. 

Sylvia. 

Cowry. 

Period  i. 

Pounds. 

Pounds.  ! 

Pounds. 

1st  week 

67.3 

58.7  ! 

72.4 

2d  week 

68.2 

60.3  1 

70.4 

3d  week 

64.5 

57.1 

77.4 

4th  week 

75.7 

58.7 

69.7 

Period  ii. 

1st  week 

82.7 

59.4 

71.7 

2d  week 

66.4 

59.2 

63.6 

3d  week 

74.4 

68.0 

78.8 

Period  iii. 

1st  week 

62.3 

51.7 

60.3 

2d  week 

45.8 

51.7 

3d  week 

59.2 

52.4 

54.4 

Period  iv. 

1st  week 

50.2 

43.3 

48.8 

3d  week 

61.6 

57.9 

70.6 

I have  not  been  able  to  trace  any  connection  between  the 
amount  of  water  drunk  and  the  yield  of  milk. 


12 


LIVE  WEIGHT. 

In  spite  of  liberal  feeding,  the  weight  of  all  the  cow  > fell 
off  very  markedly  in  the  course  of  the  experiment,  Nibbie 
losing  about  90  pounds,  Sylvia  about  40,  and  Cowry  about  80. 
The  cause  of  this  loss  appeared  to  be  the  confinement  and  lack 
of  variety  in  the  food  which  are  unavoidable  in  experiments. 
As  is  always  the  case,  the  weights  varied  greatly  from 
day  to  day.  On  comparing  the  daily  weighings  with  the 
amount  of  water  drunk,  a very  striking  coincidence  was 
noticed,  the  live  weight  as  a rule  (not  always)  rising  and 
falling  as  the  amount  of  water  drunk  was  greater  or  less. 
From  evidence  which  it  would  occupy  too  much  space  to 
give  at  length,  I believe  I am  justified  in  assuming  as  prob- 
able that  the  actual  weight  of  the  tissues  of  the  animals  de- 
creased at  a nearly  uniform  rate  during  the  whole  experi- 
ment, and  that  the  apparent  variations  from  this  rate  were 
due  to  variations  in  the  contents  of  stomach  and  intestines, 
particularly  in  the  amount  of  water  which  they  contained. 

If  this  assumption  is  correct,  the  amount  of  their  own 
flesh  and  fat  which  the  animals  put  into  milk  was  very 
nearly  the  same  in  each  week  or  period,  and  may  be  left  out 
of  account  in  considering  the  effects  of  the  feeding.  The 
subsequent  discussion  of  the  results  is  based  upon  this  as- 
sumption, and  it  must  not  be  forgotten  that  the  conclusions 
reached  have  no  greater  degree  of  probability  than  this 
.assumption  has. 


RATIONS  FED. 

As  already  stated,  the  exact  amount  of  food  digested  in 
the  last  week  of  each  period  by  two  of  the  cows  was  deter- 
mined. The  following  table  gives  in  a condensed  form  all 
necessary  information  concerning  the  ration  for  each 
period.  The  second  column  shows  the  total  amount  of  dry 
matter  eaten  per  day,  the  water  of  the  fodders  being  neg- 
lected as  unessential.  The  third  column  shows  how  much 
dry  matter  was  digested  per  day.  The  fourth  column  shows 
Iiow  much  organic  matter  this  digestible  dry  matter  con- 


13 


tained;  that  is,  it  is  the  dry  matter  minus  ash.  The  next 
three  columns  serve  to  divide  up  the  organic  matter  into  its 
components,  protein,  carbhydrates  (starchy  matter)  and  fat. 
The  last  column  shows  the  ratio  of  digestible  protein  to 
digestible  carbhydrates  and  fat. 


Rations  per  Day. 


i p 

Digested. 

01 

■*5  ® 

CO  -4-> 

o 

d d 
P <x> 
>>  u 

S-i  o 

Q 

Dry 

Matter. 

Organic 

Matter. 

j Protein . 

1 

Carbhy- 

drates. 

Fat. 

■+->  CO 
p * 
£ 

Lbs. 

J Lbs. 

Lbs. 

! Lbs. 

Lbs. 

Nibble  — 

1 

Period  I. . 

21.88 

13.69 

13.44 

1.34 

11.57 

0.53 

1:9.5 

Period  II. . 

18.35 

11.71 

11.65  ! 

1.73 

9.52 

0.40 

1:6.0 

Period  III . . 

18.66 

12.21 

12.00 

[ 1.50 

9.95 

0.55 

1:7.5 

Period  IV. . 

19.87 

12.46 

12.16 

1.14 

10.48 

0.54 

1:10.2 

Sylvia  — 

Period  I. . 

21.78 

13.67 

13.26  I 

1.34 

11.42 

0.50 

1:9.4 

Period  II. . 

20.60 

12.17 

12.20*1 

1.88 

9.95 

0.37 

1:5.7 

Period  III. . 

20.13 

12.46 

12.25  ! 

1.58 

10.15 

0.52 

1:7.2 

Period  IV . . 

21.02 

12.44 

12.09 

0.99 

10.64 

0.46 

1:11.7 

Cowry  — 

Period  I . . 

22.51 

Q . 
■£  T3 

o>  . 1 

a>  . 

rO 

Period  II.. 

19.08 

■P;  a> 

S 

73  d 

^p 

•S  g 

Period  III. . 
Period  IV . . 

20.00 

21.64 

OP 

*=> 

° 3 

o g 
£ w 

° s 
£ 

* T hat  the  organic  matter  exceeds  the  total  dry  matter  may  be  either  due  to  some  error 
or  to  an  excessive  excretion  of  mineral  matter  by  the  animal. 


QUALITY  OF  THE  MILK. 

The  quality  of  the  milk  produced  may  be  judged  of  either 
from  the  results  of  chemical  analysis  or  of  churning  tests. 
The  following  table  shows  the  average  chemical  composition 
of  the  milk  produced  during  the  last  week  of  each  period: 


14 


Per  cent . of  Fresh  Milk. 


Water. 

Solid 

The  Solid  Matter 

CONTAINED 

Matter. 

Fat. 

Protein. 

Nibble— 

Per  cent. 

Per  cent. 

Per  cent. 

Per  cent. 

Period  I 

84.08 

15.92 

6.15 

3.44 

Period  II 

83.35 

16.65 

6.35 

3.50 

Period  III 

84.48 

15.52 

5.96 

3.31 

Period  1Y 

85.00 

15.00 

5.56 

3.38 

Sylvia— 

Period  I* 

84.19 

15.81 

5.59 

3.56 

Period  It 

84.04 

15.96 

5,72 

3.78 

Period  III 

84.02 

15.98 

5.98 

3.94 

Period  IY 

83.90 

16.10 

6.07 

3.56 

Cowry— 

Period  I 

83.03 

16.97 

6.56 

3.69 

Period  II 

83.96 

16.04 

6.19 

3.81 

Period  III 

83.40 

16.60 

6.50 

3.69 

Period  IV 

84.03 

1 ■ 

15.97 

6.14 

3.69 

* Third  week  of  period 


Taking  the  percentage  of  solid  matter  as  the  fairest 
measure  of  quality,  we  find  that  in  periods  II  and  III,  in 
which  oil  meal  was  fed,  the  quality  of  Nibble’s  milk  was 
above  the  average  of  periods  I and  IY,  and  that  of  Sylvia’s 
fully  up  to  the  average,  and  this  notwithstanding  that,  as 
shown  on  p.  13,  the  quantity  of  food  eaten  and  digested  in 
these  periods  was  below  the  average.  In  other  words,  in 
the  periods  in  which  oil  meal  was  fed,  and  presumably  on 
that  account,  the  quality  of  the  milk  was  maintained  in 
Sylvia’s  case  and  improved  in  Nibble’s  in  spite  of  a defi- 
ciency in  the  quantity  of  the  food.  The  same  is  true  of 
Cowry’s  milk  in  period  III,  but  period  It  shows  a very  de 
cided  drop.  As,  however,  we  have  less  complete  knowledge 
of  the  composition  of  Cowry’s  food,  we  may  say  that  the 
balance  of  evidence  is  strongly  in  favor  of  the  conclusion 
that  the  oil-meal  improved  the  quality  of  the  milk  by  mak- 
ing it  less  watery  This  conclusion  is  in  harmony  with  the 
results  of  numerous  other  similar  experiments. 

Plainly,  however,  this  alone  does  not  settle  the  value  of 
oil-meal,  for  we  must  take  account  of  quantity  of  milk  as 
well  as  quality. 


15 


The  principal  variations  in  the  composition  of  the  milk 
are  variations  in  the  proportion  of  water,  the  relation  of  the 
several  solid  ingredients  of  the  milk  to  each  other  being  in 
most  cases  practically  unaffected.  This  will  appear  if  we 
compute  what  the  composition  of  the  milk  would  have  been 
had  it  contained  uniformly  85  per  cent,  of  water. 


Milk  with  Eighty  five  per  cent.  Water. 


Water. 
Per  Cent. 

i 

Solid  Mat- 
ter. 

Per  Cent. 

The  Solid  Matter 

CONTAINED. 

Fat. 

Per  Cent. 

Protein. 
Per  Cent. 

Nibhie  — 

Period  I 

85.00 

15.00 

5.79 

3.24 

Period  II 

85.00 

15.00 

5.72 

3.15 

Period  III 

85.00 

15.00 

5.76 

3,20 

Period  IV 

85.00 

15.00 

5.56 

3.38 

Sylvia  — 

Period  I 

85.00 

15.00 

5.30 

3.38 

Period  II 

85.00 

15.00  i 

5.38 

3.55 

Period  III 

85.00 

15.00 

5.66 

3.70 

Period  IV 

85.00 

15.00 

5.66 

3.32 

Cowry  — 

Period  I 

85.00 

15.00 

5.80 

3.26 

Period  II 

85.00 

15.00 

5.79 

3.56 

Period  III 

85.00 

15.00 

5.86 

3.33 

Per.od  IV 

85.00 

15.00 

5.77 

3.46 

If  we  take  as  our  measure  of  the  value  of  the  milk  the 
amount  of  it  required  to  produce  a pound  of  butter,  we  get 
the  following  results  for  Nibbie  and  Sylvia.  Cowry's  milk 
was  not  churned. 

Milk  required  to  make  one  pound  of  Butter. 


Last  week  of 

Nibb’e. 

Sylvia. 

Period  I 

Period  1[ 

Pounds. 

14.62 

14.03 

14.32 

16.08 

Pound*. 

*15.07 

15.32 

14.72 

14.72 

Period  III 

Period  IV 

*Thirc\  week. 


16 


The  results  on  Nibble’s  milk  corresponded  with  the  indi- 
cations of  chemical  analysis,  the  quality  being  better  in 
periods  II  and  III  than  in  periods  I and  IV.  The  same  is 
true  of  Sylvia’s  milk  in  period  III,  but  not  in  period  II,  the 
quality  in  this  period  being  poorer  than  in  any  other. 

Chemical  analyses  were  also  made  of  the  butter,  but  the 
method  of  sampling  adopted  proved  to  be  untrustworthy, 
and  the  results  of  some  seventy  analyses  ware  thereby  ren- 
dered worthless. 

QUANTITY  OF  MILK  PRODUCED. 

The  following  are  the  average  quantities  of  milk  pro- 
duced per  day  by  each  animal  during  the  last  week  of  each 
period: 


Nibbie. 

Sylvia. 

Cowry. 

Pounds. 

Pounds. 

Pounds. 

Period  I 

19.14 

16.18* 

17.78 

Period  II 

17.58 

15.58 

17.91 

Period  III 

18.19 

14.54 

16.76 

Period  IV 

17.60 

14.37 

16.94 

-Third  week. 


As  has  been  already  pointed  out,  however  (see  table  on 
page  14  ),  the  proportion  of  water  in  the  milk  varied  from 
one  pariod  to  another.  Plainly  we  cannot  make  a fair  com- 
parison of  one  period  with  another  under  these  circum- 
stances. We  must  first  get  rid  of  the  influence  of  this 
varying  proportion  of  water.  A fair  comparison  may  be 
made  by  adding  enough  water  to  the  milk  to  make  the  pro- 
portion of  the  latter  the  same  in  each  case.  The  amounts 
of  this  diluted  milk  would  then  admit  of  fair  comparison. 
It  is  not  necessary  to  actually  add  the  water  to  the  milk,  but 
it  is  a simple  matter  to  calculate  how  much  milk  there  would 
have  been  had  this  been  done,  or  had  we  been  so  fortunate 
as  to  have  cows  which  always  gave  milk  of  the  same  quality. 
Or,  to  put  it  in  another  way,  we  may  then  take  account  of 
the  effect  of  the  feed  upon  both  quantity  and  quality  of  the 
milk.  The  following  table  contains  the  result  of  this  calcu- 
lation: 


17 


Milk  with  85  per  cent . water  Daily  yield. 


Last  week  of 

Nibbie. 

Sylvia. 

Cowry. 

Period 

I 

Pounds. 

20.32 

Pounds. 

*17.00 

Pounds. 

20.12 

Period 

II 

19.51 

16.58 

19,15 

18.55 

Period 

Ill 

18.82 

15.53 

Period 

IV 

17.60 

15.42 

. 18.04 

* Third  week. 

This  table  may  be  supplemented  by  two  others,  the  first 
showing  the  number  of  pounds  of  fat  contained  in  the  aver- 
age daily  yield  of  milk,  and  the  second  showing  the  average 
daily  product  of  butter.  We  shall  then  have  brought  to- 
gether our  data  from  which  to  judge  of  the  effects  of  the 
feeding. 

Average  daily  yield  of  Fat. 


Nibbie. 

Sylvia. 

Cowry. 

Period  I 

1.18  lbs. 
1.12  lbs. 
1.08  lbs. 
0.98  lbs. 

0.90  lbs. 
0.89  lbs. 
0.87  lbs. 
0.87  lbs. 

1.17  lbs. 
1.11  lbs. 
1.09  lbs. 
1.04  lbs. 

Period  II 

Period  TTT 

Period  IV 

Average  daily  yield  of  Unsalted  Batter. 


Nibbie. 

Sylvia, 

Period  I 

1.31  lbs. 
1.25  lbs. 
1.27  lbs. 
1.09  lbs. 

1.01  lbs. 

1.02  lbs. 
0.99  lbs. 
0.98  lbs. 

Period  II 

Period  III 

Period  IV 

That  the  yield  of  butter  is  greater  than  the  total  amount 
of  fat  contained  in  the  milk  is  due  to  the  fact  that  butter 
contains  some  14  or  15  per  cent,  of  water  and  a trifling 
amount  of  other  substances  in  addition  to  its  fat. 

WHAT  DO  THE  RESULTS  SHOW? 

We  now  come  to  the  main  question,  viz:  what  relation 
can  be  traced  between  the  production,  as  shown  in  the  last 
three  tables,  and  the  feeding. 

2 


18 


There  are  numerous  ways  in  which  the  solution  of  this 
question  may  he  attempted.  Most  of  them  have  been  ap- 
plied to  the  consideration  of  the  above  results  in  all  their 
details,  and  they  all  lead  to  essentially  the  same  conclusion. 
I therefore  present  here  only  one  or  two  of  them  as  illustra- 
tive of  the  conclusions  which  I reach  in  whatever  light  the 
results  are  viewed. 

A simple  method  of  comparison  is  to  calculate  the  number 
of  pounds  of  feed  required  to  produce  a pound  of  milk.  To 
make  this  a fair  comparison  we  must  plainly  take  the  feed 
in  a perfectly  dry  state  and  the  milk  with  a uniform  water 
content,  say  85  per  cent.  Or,  instead  of  making  the  dry  mat- 
ter of  the  food  our  basis,  we  may  compute  how  many  pounds 
of  digested  dry  matter  were  required  to  produce  a pound 
of  good  milk.  Or,  we  may  take  as  the  basis  of  calculation 
what  is  called  the  starch-equivalent  of  the  digested  matter, 
which  is  found  by  multiplying  protein  by  1.1  and  fat  by  2.2, 
and  adding  the  result  to  the  carbhydrates.  The  following 
table  contains  the  results  of  a comparison  on  each  of  these 
bases. 

To  Make  One  Pound  of  Milk  Required 


Total  dry 
matter. 

Digestible 
dry  mat- 
ter. 

Starch  equiva- 
lent of  diges- 
tible dry 
matter. 

Nibbie. 

Lbs. 

Lbs. 

Lbs. 

Period  I 

1.08 

0.67 

0.70 

II 

0.94 

0.60 

0.63 

Ill 

0.99 

0.65 

0.68 

IV 

1.18 

0.71 

0.74 

Sylvia  . 

1 

Period  I 

1.28 

0.80 

0.82 

II 

1.24 

0-13 

0.77 

Ill 

1.30 

0-80 

0.84 

IV 

1.36 

0.81 

0.83 

Cowry. 

Period  T 

1.12 

- 

II 

1.00 

Ill 

1.08 

IV 

1.20 

19 


In  general,  though  with  a few  exceptions,  periods  II 
and  III,  in  which  oil-meal  was  fed,  show  a slightly  more 
economical  production  than  periods  I and  IV ; that  is,  it  took 
a little  less  feed  to  make  p,  pound  of  milk.  The  same  result 
is  reached  by  comparing  the  production  of  milk  fat  or  of 
fresh  butter,  with  the  food  eaten. 

It  would  appear,  then,  that  there  was  in  these  experiments 
some  advantage  in  substituting  oil-meal  for  corn  meal,  though 
it  is  evidently  not  great.  It  is  possible,  however,  that  even  this 
small  advantage  is  only  apparent. 

It  will  be  remembered  (see  p.  12 ) that  we  assumed  that 
the  actual  weight  of  the  animals,  exclusive  of  contents  of 
stomach  and  intestines,  fell  off  at  a uniform  rate  through- 
out the  experiments.  It  is  by  no  means  certain  however,  that 
this  was  exactly  the  case.  If,  now,  the  weight  really  fell  off  a 
little  faster  in  periods  II  and  III,  this  might  account  for  the 
better  results  in  those  periods.  A careful  study  of  the  daily 
weighings  shows  that  a difference  fully  sufficient  to  account 
for  the  better  results  in  those  periods  in  which  oil-meal  was  fed 
would  accord  with  the  observed  facts  at  least  as  well  as  the 
assumption  of  uniform  loss  of  weight  with  which  we  started. 

This  robs  the  apparent  gain  in  periods  II  and  III  of  all 
significance.  It  does  not,  of  course,  prove  that  the  gain 
was  not  due  to  the  oil  meal,  but,  on  the  other  hand,  it  ren- 
ders it  impossible  to  prove  that  it  was.  That  is,  the  experi- 
ments agree  with  those  of  the  previous  year  in  so  far  as  they 
fail  to  show  with  certainty  any  gain  resulting  from  the  use 
of  oil  meal,  while  they  do  show  that  if  there  was  really  a 
gain  it  was  small. 

COST  OF  THE  FEEDING. 

Oil-meal  costs  considerably  more  than  any  other  of 
the  feeding-stuffs  used  in  these  experiments.  If,  now? 
there  was  really  a gain  due  to  the  use  of  the  oil  meal,  was 
it  sufficiently  to  compensate  for  the  extra  cost  of  the  feeding. 
Assuming  hay  to  be  worth  $8  per  ton,  ensilage  $2,  bran  $12, 
corn  meal  $20,  and  oil  meal  $25,  and  charging  nothing  for  the 
uneaten  hay,  the  cost  of  feed  per  100  pounds  of  milk  with 
85  per  cent,  of  water  in  the  several  periods  was  as  follows: 


20 


Cost  of  feed  per  100  pounds  of  milk. 


Nibbie. 

Sylvia. 

Cowry. 

Period  I 

Cents. 

74.8 

76.1 

74.6 

84.4 

Cents. 

98.3 

96.3 
95.1 

100 

Cents. 

79.6 

79.4 

79.3 

88.3 

Period  II 

Period  III 

Period  IV 

The  cost  of  the  milk  in  periods  II  and  III  is  without  excep- 
tion less  than  that  in  periods  I and  IV,  when  we  take  as  the 
basis  of  our  calculation  milk  with  a uniform  percentage 
of  water,  that  is,  when  we  take  account  of  the  improved^ 
quality  of  the  milk  in  periods  II  and  III.  From  this  it  would 
appear  that,  if  the  better  effect  in  periods  II  and  III  was 
really  the  result  of  the'feeding  and  not  of  a greater  loss  of 
weight  by  the  animals,  it  was  profitable  to  substitute  oil 
meal  at  $25  per  ton  for  corn  meal  at  $20.  If  the  greater 
value  of  the  manure  from  oil  meal  were  taken  into  the  ac- 
count, the  balance  would  be  still  more  in  favor  of  the  latter. 

CONCLUSIONS. 

The  results  of  these  experiments  may  be  briefly  summa- 
rized as  follows: 

1.  The  considerable  loss  of  weight  by  the  animals  pre- 
vents any  certain  conclusions  being  drawn. 

2.  Neither  these  experiments  nor  those  of  the  previous 
year  have  shown  with  certainty  that  oil  meal  has  any 
greater  feeding  value  than  corn  meal. 

3.  If  there  is  any  balance  in  favor  of  oil  meal  it  is  not 
great.  The  probability  is,  in  my  opinion,  that  the  “ starch 
equivalent”  of  feeding  stuffs  pretty  nearly  represents  their 
relative  value  as  food. 

4.  If  the  apparent  gain  under  oil  meal  feeding  be  accept- 
ed as  real,  the  cost  of  feed  was  about  4 cents  less  per  100  lbs. 
of  milk  when  oil  meal  was  fed. 

5.  The  oil  meal  in  these  experiments  appears  to  have  im- 
proved the  quality  of  the  milk  by  making  it  less  watery. 
There  is  no  evidence  that  it  altered  the  proportion  of  fat  to 
}>ther  solid  matters. 

H.  P.  ARMSBY, 

Professor  of  Agricultural  Chemistry. 


'*Tt, 


o^r 


UNIVERSITY  OF  WISCONSIN, 


Agricultural  Experiment  Station. 


BULLETIN  NO.  9. 


REPORT  ON  OATS,  POTATOES  AND  CORN  FOR  1885. 


MADISON,  WISCONSIN,  MARCH,  1 8S6, 


DEMOCRAT  COMPANY,  STATE  PRINTERS. 


Bulletins  of  this  Station  are  sent  free  to  all  resi- 
dents of  the  State  who  request  it . 


UNIVERSITY  OF  WISCONSIN 


Agricultural  Experiment  Station. 


COMMITTEE  OF  BOARD  OF  REGENTS  IN  CHARGE 
OF  THE  STATION. 


Hon.  HIRAM  SMITH,  Chairman, 
Hon.  H.  D.  HITT, 

Hon.  C.  H.  WILLIAMS, 


Sheboygan  Falls. 

Oakfield. 

Baraboo. 


OFFICERS  OF  THE  STATION. 

W.  A.  HENRY,  Agr.  B.,  - - Prof,  of  Agriculture. 

H.  P.  ARMSBY,  Ph.  D.,  - - Prof,  of  Agricultural  Chemistry. 

A.  B.  SEYMOUR,  B.  S.,  - - Instructor  in  Botany. 


F.  G.  SHORT, 

F.  W.  A.  WOLL, 

LESLIE  H.  ADAMS,  ....  Foreman. 


Office,  - - - - 16  Agricultural  Hall. 

Chemical  Laboratory,  18  Agricultural  Hall. 

Botanical  Laboratory,  - - 12  Agricultural  Hall. 


Experimental  Fields  and  Barn  on  the  University  Farm. 


At  the  Experimental  Farm  we  have  been  growing  in  a 
small  way  some  of  the  newer  varieties  of  grains,  potatoes, 
etc.,  offered  by  the  seedsmen.  In  this  bulletin  is  reported 
the  yield  of  oats  and  potatoes  with  us  for  1885,  and  notes  on 
Indian  corn.  What  is  written  is  with  the  hope  that  it  will 
be  an  aid  to  our  farmers  in  making  out  their  list  of  varieties 
to  be  planted  this  season.  The  station  cannot  supply  seed 
of  the  varieties  named;  they  can  be  had  of  seedsmen. 


OATS. 


Fifteen  plots  of  one  twentieth  of  an  acre  each  were  sown 
with  oats  May  5th  on  carefully  prepared  ground.  The  land 
had  been  in  corn  the  previous  season,  and  had  not  been  ma- 
nured for  the  last  two  years.  It  is  amply  rich,  however, 
since  if  much  manure  is  used  the  grain  lodges  and  rusts 
badly  even  in  fair  seasons.  The  plots  all  grew  finely  and 
the  test  promised  to  be  a very  interesting  one  until  a series 
of  storms,  beginning  with  July  8th,  threatened  to  destroy  the 
crop  totally.  In  the  storm  of  the  date  named  the  wind  had 
a velocity  of  65  miles  an  hour,  and  the  grain  the  next  morn- 
ing lay  as  flat  as  if  it  had  been  mowed.  From  this  disas- 
ter the  plants  never  recovered;  the  yield,  as  here  reported, 
is  considered  as  remarkably  good  under  the  circumstances. 
All  the  plats  were  mowed  with  a scythe  on  account  of  the 
fallen  grain. 

Yield  of  Oats  for  1885. 


Name  of  Variety 

Amount 
from  one- 
twentieth 
acre. 

Rate 
per  acre. 

Weight 
per  struck 
bushel. 

Remarks. 

Lbs. 

Bu. 

Lbs 

Lbs. 

White  Belgian 

66 

41 

8 

34 

White. 

Rust  Proof 

80 

50 

0 

3334 

Reddish  to  dark. 

White  Canadian 

79 

49 

12 

31 

White. 

Hulless  or  Bohemian. . . 

56^ 

35 

10 

45 

Without  hulls;  too  soft  to 
grind  well. 

Welcome 

73 

45 

20 

39 

White,  very  small  grains. 

White  Schonen 

96 

60 

0 

3234 

One  of  the  best  appearing 

Lost  Nation 

64 

40 

0 

37 

grains. 

Resembles  Welcome,  but 
larger  grain. 

White  German 

84 

52 

16 

31 

White. 

Badger  Queen 

75 

46 

28 

35 

Like  the  Lost  Nation. 

American  Triumph 

42 

26 

8 

26 

Rather  large  white  grain. 

Black  Tartarian 

72 

45 

0 

30 

Grains  very  dark  at  base. 

Hopedown 

4134 

25 

30 

33 

Small  grain,  white. 

Clyoesdale 

70 

43 

24 

3634 

Resembles  the  Welcome  but 
better. 

White  Australian 

86 

53 

24 

33 

White. 

Millards’  Kans.  Hybrid . 

90 

56 

8 

3334 

Brown  to  black. 

Black  Russian 

69J4 

43 

14 

35 

Very  dark. 

6 


The  seed  of  the  Clydesdale  and  Hopedown  was  imported 
from  Scotland  by  Peter  Henderson,  the  seedsman.  This 
seed  was  very  fine,  weighing  45  pounds  to  the  bushel.  We 
shall  sow  these  varieties  from  our  own  seed  this  year  to  as- 
certain if  any  return  to  the  hi^h  quality  of  the  Scotch  grain 
is  perceptible. 

In  general  there  is  little  if  any  difference  in  several  of  the 
so-called  white  varieties  of  oats;  we  made  no  careful  study 
on  this  question,  however.  # 

The  White  Schonen,  which  has  been  grown  on  the  farm 
for  years,  and  the  seed  quite  widely  disseminated  over  the 
state  by  the  Experimental  Farm,  still  keeps  at  the  top  of 
the  list  for  yield,  though  the  grain  is  not  very  heavy.  Prof. 
Lazenby,  of  the  Ohio  Experimental  Station,  reports  it  as 
among  the  best  for  yield  with  them. 


POTATOES. 


The  ground  on  which  the  potatoes  were  planted  was  a 
sandy  loam,  which  had  been  in  corn  for  several  years  pre- 
vious. This  was  manured  with  well  rotted  barn-yard 
manure  at  the  rate  of  20  two-horse  loads  per  acre. 

The  potatoes  were  cut  to  one  eye  in  a piece,  with  the  con- 
cave-curved potato  knife,  and  planted  May  16th,  one  piece 
in  a place,  one  foot  apart  in  the  drill,  the  drills  being  three 
feet,  two  inches  apart.  The  cultivation  was  thorough,  be- 
ginning with  harrowing  the  ground  before  the  sprouts  ap- 
peared, and  repeated  use  of  the  cultivator  and  hoe  during 
the  growing  season,  so  that  the  ground  as  free  from  weeds 
at  digging  time.  A very  large  yield  was  the  result,  but  un- 
fortunately the  potato  rot  struck  the  plat  just  as  the  late 
varieties  were  closing  their  growth.  Upon  detecting  the 
appearance  of  rot  a part  of  each  variety  was  dug  at  once 
and  carefully  assorted,  dried  and  weighed. 

The  rot  had  attacked  some  of  the  tubers,  slightly.  The 
rotting  ceased  at  once  upon  digging  and  drying. 

The  following  table  shows  the  yield  of  100  hills  of  each 
variety,  divided  into  large  and  small  tubers,  and  the  yield 
per  acre  at  the  same  rates. 


Yield  of  Potatoes  for  1885. 


Name  of  Variety. 

Yield  of  100 
Hills. 

Yield  per  Acre 
at  Same  Rate. 

Pounds. 

Bushels. 

Large. 

Small. 

Large. 

Small. 

Crane’s  Potentate 

132 

35* 

302 

81 

Rural  Blush 

118 

26 

270 

59 

White  Star 

im 

28* 

321 

65 

E.  Sunrise 

138 

37-* 

316 

85 

E.  Ohio 

130* 

23 

298 

52 

Corliss  Matchless 

118 

37-* 

270 

85 

E.  Maine 

103 

54 

236 

123 

E.  Harvest 

114* 

52 

262 

119 

Pearl  of  Savoy 

135 

42 

309 

96 

May  Flower 

122 

47 

279 

107 

Mammoth  Pearl 

131* 

40 

301 

91 

Alexander’s  Prolific 

143 

26 

327 

59 

American  Giant 

105* 

18* 

241 

42 

E.  Illinois 

123 

16 

281 

36 

Garfield 

99 

30 

226 

68 

It  had  been  intended  to  boil  samples  of  each  variety,  and 
test  as  to  quality  for  the  table.  This  was  done,  but  as  some 
kinds  bad  been  touched  by  the  rot,  the  report  here  given 
can  not  be  considered  as  doing  justice  to  all  the  varieties. 

From  the  test  we  should  rank  them  thus:  Extra;  Alexan- 
der’s Prolific,  E.  Harvest  and  E.  Sunrise.  Fine;  E.  Ohio,  White 
Star,  E.  Illinois,  E.  Maine  and  Garfield.  Good;  Crane’s  Pot  - 
entate,  Corliss  Matchless  and  Rural  Blush.  Poor;  Mammoth 
Pearl  and  American  Giant. 

These  last  being  late  growers,  were  probably  injured  for 
the  table  by  not  being  fully  matured,  or  tainted  by  the  rot. 

While  all  the  potatoes  dug  as  soon  as  the  rot  began  to 
affect  the  tubes  have  kept  well,  all  that  were  left  undug  for 
a couple  of  weeks  rotted  almost  entirely;  the  White  Star 
being  the  only  partial  exception. 

The  potato  rot  was  so  general  over  our  state  last  fall  that 
any  information  upon  it,  I am  certain,  will  be  of  interest  to 
our  farmers. 


9 


The  following  very  carefully  prepared  and  concise  state- 
ment of  this  disease,  and  preventive  measures,  was  written 
by  Mr.  Erwin  F.  Smith,  of  the  Botanical  Labaratory,  Uni- 
versity of  Michigan,  and  sent  out  in  the  Michigan  crop  re- 
port for  December,  1885. 

NATURE  OF  THE  DISEASE. 

The  potato  rot  is  a contagious  disease  which  often  spreads 
from  plant  to  plant  and  field  to  field  with  great  rapidity. 
The  disease  attacks  the  tops  as  well  as  the  tubers,  and  is  due 
solely,  or  primarily  at  least,  to  the  presence  of  a minute  par* 
asitic  fungus,  Phytophthora  infestcms.  The  life  history  of 
this  parasite  was  carefully  investigated  many  years  since  by 
De  Bary  and  other  botanists,  and  is  now  well  known.  The 
destructive  effects  of  the  fungus  are  generally  first  observed 
upon  the  tubers  late  in  the  fall,  but  the  disease  is  present 
much  earlier  in  the  season,  and  may  be  recognized  on  the 
tops  by  a certain  characteristic  blotched,  black  or  brown 
spotted,  dead  appearance.  A more  critical  inspection  of  the 
diseased  tops  would  show  numerous  small  white  spots  scat- 
tered over  the  leaves  and  stems.  When  highly  magnified 
these  spots  are  found  to  be  minature  forests  of  slender  stems 
growing  up  out  of  the  surface  of  the  leaves  and  stems  of  the 
potato.  These  tiny  stems  commonly  branch  and  swell  out 
at  the  ends  into  ellipsoid  or  oval  bodies,  known  as  summer 
spores.  These  little  spores  are  produced  by  millions  and  are 
so  small  that  a million  could  easily  lie  side  by  side  on  a 
square  inch  without  crowding.  When  ripe  they  separate 
from  the  stem  by  a joint  and  fall.  Under  the  influence  of 
water  the  living,  jelly-like  contents  of  the  spore  may  push 
out  a long,  slender  tube,  capable  of  growing  down  directly 
into  any  part  of  the  potato  plant  to  begin  a new  cycle  of 
growth;  or  may  separate  into  several  distinct  portions 
(swarm  spores)  which,  being  endowed  with  life  and  motion, 
burst  through  the  wall  of  the  mother  spore,  swim  about  ac- 
tively for  a few  minutes,  and  then  either  die  or  thrust  out  a 
slender  tube,  capable,  as  in  the  other  form,  of  becoming  a ma- 
ture plant  inside  of  the  potato  plant.  All  this  wonderful  vital 
activity,  so  readily  observed  under  the  microscope,  takes 


10 


place,  as  we  have  seen,  in  bodies  small  enough  to  rest  easily 
on  the  point  of  a pin  and  light  enough  to  be  readily  blown 
from  field  to  field. 

The  mature  fungus  lives  in  the  tops  or  tubers  of  the 
potato,  and  is  also  a minute  affair.  Its  presence  can  only 
be  detected  by  the  microscopist,  but  its  capacity  for  mischief 
bears  no  relation  to  its  size.  It  consists  of  very  numerous, 
colorless,  irreglarly-branching,  tube-like  threads.  These 
threads  grow  through  the  tissues  of  the  potato  more  or  less 
rapidly,  appropriating  to  their  own  use  the  nutrient  juices 
of  the  vegetable,  and  impoverishing  its  tissues  so  that  they 
either  break  down  directly  or  are  invaded  by  bacteria  and 
other  low  forms  of  life  which  induce  putrifactive  decompo- 
sition. It  is  this  mature  fungus  which  sends  to  the  surface 
the  white  forest  of  tiny  stalks  bearing  the  summer  spores 
already  mentioned.  These  spores  live  only  a short  time, 
but  the  mycelium  (the  internal  tube-like  thread  of  the  fun- 
gus) is  perennial  and  hardy.  There  is  little,  if  any,  differ- 
entiation of  parts  or  distinction  of  function  in  the  internal 
portions  of  the  fungus,  and  consequently,  unlike  the  higher 
plants,  a new  plant  may,  under  favoring  conditions,  arise 
from  any  least  portion  of  it.  In  fact,  any  portion  of  it  is  a 
complete  plant  in  itself,  being  capable  of  growth  and  repro- 
duction. 

It  will  be  seen  that  the  preventative  measures  are  only 
aids  to  warding  off  the  disease  and  that  nothing  very 
potent  is  offered. 

Since  the  terrible  famine  in  Ireland  in  1847,  caused  by  this 
fungus,  England  has  tried  to  find  some  way  to  destroy  it, 
or  avoid  its  ill  effects,  but  though  hundreds  have  came  for- 
ward with  remedies  not  one  has  been  found  successful  un- 
der all  circumstances. 

There  appears  to  be  some  hope  of  successfully  combatting 
this  fungus,  more  than  in  the  case  of  almost  any  other  sim- 
ilar plant  parasite  which  is  equally  wide  spread.  The  im- 
portant facts  to  be  considered  in  devising  preventive 
measures  are:  (1)  The  fungus  spreads  from  one  plant  to 
another  during  the  growing  season  by  summer  spores,  rain- 
washed  or  wind-blown;  and  (2)  it  depends,  primarily,  for  its 


11 


spread  the  following  season  upon  its  perennial  mycelium 
(the  tube  like  threads)  always  to  be  found  in  the  diseased 
tubers  and  tops.  It  may,  also,  possibly  grow  from  resting 
spores  found  in  the  same  situations,  although  the  existence 
of  the  latter  is  not  settled  beyond  dispute. 

PREVENTIVE  MEASURES. 

1.  From  what  has  been  said  it  follows  that  the  parasites 
may  often  live  over  winter  in  the  tops  and  decaying  tubers 
left  in  the  fields  after  harvest.  Prudence,  would,  therefore, 
dictate  the  complete  removal  and  destruction  of  such  refuse. 
It  should  be  buried  or  burned.  It  should  not  be  used  for 
compost. 

2.  Store  the  harvested  crop  in  dry  cellars,  and  sort  over 
several  times,  at  short  intervals,  carefully  removing  from 
the  bins  every  tuber  which  shows  the  least  sign  of  decay. 
Remove,  also,  to  a separate  pile,  those  tubers  which  have 
been  lying  in  contact  with  the  diseased  ones.  The  sorting 
will  be  facilitated  and  the  decay  hindered  by  storing  the 
tubers  in  casks,  barrels,  or  small  boxes.  Potatoes  buried  in 
quantity  in  fields  will  be  likely  to  rot  in  toto  during  the 
coming  winter  if,  by  chance,  any  infected  tubers  were  bur- 
ied with  the  sound  ones. 

3.  Plant  next  season  only  tubers  which  are  entirely  sound, 
outside  and  inside.  The  black  spots  contain  the  fungus. 
Some  tubers  may  appear  sound  on  the  surface  and  be  dis- 
eased within.  Determine  the  soundness  of  the  tubers  by 
cutting  at  planting  time.  To  plant  diseased  potatoes  will 
insure  a continuation  of  the  rot. 

4.  Even  if  direction  No.  1 has  been  followed,  more  or  less 
of  the  potato  fungus  will  probably  remain  over  winter  in 
the  fields  ready  to  grow  if  there  is  an  opportunity.  Do  not, 
therefore,  plant  in  the  same  fields  as  last  year,  nor  in  ad- 
joining ones,  nor  near  fields  planted  by  neighbors  if  some 
more  remote  locality  can  be  found. 

5.  Take  advantage  of  the  prevailing  direction  of  the 
wind.  Our  summer  and  autumn  winds  are  chiefly  from 
points  south  and  west.  There  is,  therefore,  a chance  of  es- 
caping wind-blown  spores  by  planting  to  the  south  west  of 


12 


other  potato  fields,  or  to  the  north  east  of  woodland  or  other 
large  uncultivated  tracts. 

6.  The  growth  of  the  parasite  is  favored  by  moisture  and 
stopped  by  drouth.  It  is  rapid  in  rainy  weather  and  when 
there  are  heavy  dews.  Usually  the  rot  is  much  worse  upon 
clay  land  or  other  soils  which  retain  moisture.  Choose, 
therefore,  a light  and  dry  soil  for  planting. 

It  has  been  shown  experimentally  that,  with  only  mod- 
erate watering,  the  summer  spores  will  penetrate  the  soil  to 
a depth  of  several  inches,  consequently  “ hilling  up  ” will 
not  protect.  The  probabilities  are,  also,  that  no  substances 
can  be  dusted  upon  or  otherwise  applied  to  the  growing 
plants  with  much  benefit.  If  some  varieties  of  the  potato 
are  less  subject  to  the  rot  than  others,  a thing  not  improab- 
ble,  the  present  state  of  our  knowledge  doe3  not  enable  us 
to  say  positively  which  they  are. 


INDIAN  CORN. 


To  describe  the  various  varieties  of  Indian  corn  so  that  they 
may  be  recognized  by  others,  and  to  report  correctly  their  rel- 
ative values  for  Wisconsin  will  not  be  here  attempted;  the 
best  that  can  be  done  is  to  present  a few  notes  which  may 
be  of  use  to  those  who  may  be  looking  up  varieties  hoping  to 
secure  something  better  than  they  may  now  have.  Despite 
the  great  care  taken  by  many  in  saving  seed,  there  is  much 
corn  through  our  state  of  the  most  mixed  character,  rank- 
ing with  the  good  about  as  mongrel  or  scrub  stock  does 
compared  with  good  grades  or  thoroughbreds.  The  needs 
of  localities  vary  so  greatly  that  many  varieties  will  be 
required,  taking  the  state  as  a whole,  yet  this  does  not  lessen 
but  rather  enhances  the  demand  for  a study  of  varieties 
and  a careful  examination  into  their  several  characteristics. 

Along  the  shores  of  Lake  Michigan  and  in  all  the  north- 
eastern half  of  the  state  only  the  flint  varieties  will  as  a 
rule  succeed.  All  that  part  of  the  state  lying  below  a line 
drawn  from  Osceola  Mills,  Polk  county,  to  Kenosha  county, 
will  ordinarily  ripen  the  dent  varieties  successfully.  Strange 
as  it  may  appear,  about  as  large  varieties  of  dent  corn  can 
be  grown  at  River  Falls  as  at  Beloit. 

The  varieties  here  described  were  grown  in  small  plats, 
side  by  side,  all  receiving  the  same  treatment.  Of  course 
they  mixed  badly,  but  this  would  not  affect  this  year’s 
report,  though  it  would  make  the  saving  of  seed  of  no  use. 
The  corn  was  planted  May  19th.  The  storm  of  July  8th 
and  others  following  broke  down  so  many  of  the  stalks  that 
no  correct  yield  could  be  reported. 

MANDAN  INDIAN,  OR  SQUAW  CORN. 

Stalks  four  feet  high;  ears  placed  on  the  stalks  from  six 
inches  to  one  foot  from  the  ground.  Ears  from  5 to  7 inches 
long,  eight  rowed,  medium  cob.  Mature  August  15th.  The 
grains  of  corn  are  red,  white,  blue,  mottled,  etc.,  often  all 


14 


these  colors  and  shades  being  found  on  one  ear.  This  corn 
was  first  planted  as  a curiosity;  but  the  yield  is  fair,  and  if 
put  in  hills  2x3  feet,  it  is  worthy  of  trial  as  a field  crop  in 
our  northern  counties. 

french  yellow.  (From  France.) 

Ripe  August  25th;  stalks,  five  and  one-half  feet  high; 
ears,  5 inches  long;  sixteen  rowed,  with  large  cob;  resembles 
pop  corn  somwhat;  not  worthy  of  further  trial. 

white  pyrenean  (From  France). 

One  week  later  than  the  previous  named  variety;  some- 
what better.  Cob  six  inches  long;  large  grain,  in  fourteen 
rows,  almost  round;  white.  Of  no  possible  value. 

CHADWICK. 

Ripe  September  1st;  a very  early  yellow  plant;  eight 
rowed,  with  cob  about  eight  inches  in  length,  of  small  size. 
Save  the  two  previous  varieties  this  is  next  to  the  Squaw  or 
Mandan  for  earliness,  and  is  worthy  of  trial  in  districts 
where  early  maturity  is  a prime  requisite. 

WINNEBAGO  WHITE. 

Ripe  September  5th;  ears,  eight  inches  long;  eight  rowed; 
small  cob;  large,  pearly  white  grain.  To  those  who  prefer 
a white  flint  this  variety  would  be  suited  in  place  of  the 
Chadwick. 

LONGFELLOW. 

An  eight  rowed  yellow  flint  variety,  ears  12  inches  in 
length;  has  many  suckers,  ripened  September  12.  Apparent- 
ly a large  form  of  the  Chadwick. 

SILVER  FLINT. 

Six  to  eight  feet  high,  growing  much  like  dent  corn. 
Scarcely  ripe  Sept.  15.  Ears  11-12  inches  in  length  with  a 
larger  cob  than  the  previous  named  valuable  varieties.  As 
this  variety  is  late  growing  there  seems  to  be  no  special  ad- 
vantage in  it  unless  one  may  prefer  a flint  to  a dent 
variety,  which  is  fully  as  early. 


15 


PIERCE’S  CANADA. 

A yellow  flint;  ears  eight  inches  long;  sixteen  rowed,  with 
small  round  grains.  Ripe  Sept.  8th.  Can  see  no  special 
value  in  this  variety. 

WAUSHAKUM. 

A yellow  flint  variety  growing  six  to  seven  feet  high. 
Ripe  September  10.  Ears  from  nine  to  ten  inches  long;  eight 
rowed;  cob  very  small  and  almost  uniform  size.  A valuable 
variety. 

SMUT  NOSE. 

Yellow  grains,  with  those  near  the  end  of  the  ear  of  pur- 
plish tinge.  Ear  ten  inches  long,  medium  sized  cob.  Of  no 
particular  value. 

KING  PHILIP. 

This  variety  with  us  is  one  of  the  latest  flints,  ripening 
Sept.  15.  Ears  ten  inches  in  length;  eight  rowed;  grains 
very  dark  waxy  yellow.  An  old  standard  variety  but  of  no 
apparent  superiority  in  this  trial.  Probably  our  seed  was 
not  from  the  best  strains. 

WISCONSIN  WHITE  DENT. 

Ripe  September  15;  ears  eighth  to  ten  inches  long;  sixteen 
rowed;  grain  of  medium  length;  rather  large  cob.  Rather 
too  large  a growing  variety  for  this  section. 

NORTH  STAR  GOLDEN  DENT. 

A fine  yellow  dent  corn  — one  of  the  very  best,  but  some- 
times very  common  seed  corn  is  sold  under  this  name.  The 
true  variety  has  a deep  kernel,  red  cob,  somewhat  flattened, 
ears  about  eight  inches  long,  11  to  18  rowed.  Well  grained 

over  tip  of  the  cob  and  at  the  base.  An  excellent  corn  for 
Wisconsin. 

PRIDE  OF  THE  NORTH. 

A small  variety  of  yellow  dent  but  very  prolific.  Cobs 
very  small,  about  fourteen  rowed.  Ear  very  tapering,  be- 
ing of  so  few  rows  the  ears  are  not  large.  The  rows  of 
grains  are  often  placed  irregularly  on  the  cobs.  One  would 


16 


not  at  first  appreciate  the  merits  of  this  variety.  Only  by 
studying  the  good  yield  and  the  large  amount  of  sound  corn 
from  a bushel  of  ears  will  the  full  merits  be  seen.  It  is  an 
early  variety,  though  with  us  not  ripe  this  year  until  Sep- 
tember 15th.  Stalks  small,  seven  feet  in  height. 

BADGER  YELLOW  DENT. 

Stalks  seven  feet  high,  well- eared;  ears  seven  to  nine 
inches  long,  from  sixteen  to  twenty-two  rowed.  Medium 
cob  and  chip  grain.  A good  variety  when  one  wishes  corn 
of  the  shoe-peg  type. 

W.  A.  HENRY, 
Professor  of  Agriculture . 


UNIVERSITY  OF  WISCONSIN. 


Agricultural  Experiment  Station. 


BULLETIN  NO.  10. 


TESTS  OF  DAIRY  COWS. 


MADISON,  WISCONSIN,  OCTOBER,  1886. 


DEMOCRAT  COMPANY,  STATE  PRINTERS. 


UNIVERSITY  OF  WISCONSIN. 


Agricultural  Experiment  Station. 


COMMITTEE  OF  BOARD  OF  REGENTS  IN  CHARGE 
OF  THE  STATION. 

Hon.  HIRAM  SMITH,  Chairman,  - - - Sheboygan  Falls. 

Hon.  H.  D.  HITT,  - Oakfield. 

Hon.  C.  H.  WILLIAMS,  ....  Baraboo. 


OFFICERS  OF  THE  STATION. 


Prof.  W.  A.  HENRY,  Agr.  B., 
Prof.  H.  P.  ARMSBY,  Ph.  D., 
F.  G.  SHORT,  ) 

F.  W.  A.  WOLL,  M.  S , f 
LESLIE  H.  ADAMS, 


Director. 

Associate  Director. 
Chemists. 

Foreman. 


Office, 

Chemical  Laboratory, 
Botanical  Laboratory, 


16  Agricultural  Hall. 
18  Agricultural  Hall. 
12  Agricultural  Hall. 


Experimental  Fields  and  Barn  on  the  University  Farm . 


i^^The  Bulletins  of  this  Station  are  sent  free  to  all  rest 
dents  of  the  State  ivho  request  it. 


TESTS  OF  DAIRY  COWS. 


As  was  announced  by  this  Station,  in  a circular  under 
date  of  September  1st,  competitive  tests  of  dairy  cows  were 
conducted  during  the  State  Fair  at  Milwaukee,  under  the 
supervision  of  the  writer,  for  the  premiums  offered  by  the 
State  Agricultural  Society  for  the  best  milk,  butter  and 
cheese  cow,  respectively.  As  the  subject  appears  to  be  one 
of  general  interest,  the  following  report  to  the  Society  of  the 
results  of  the  tests  is  made  public  for  the  information  of 
those  interested. 

I desire  to  call  special  attention  to  the  fact  that  in  these 
tests  there  was  no  “ judging”  of  the  cows  as  the  term  is 
commonly  understood  in  connection  with  agricultural  fairs. 
The  report  on  the  tests  is  simply  a record  of  certain  facts, 
observed  according  to  a pre-arranged  plan,  which  had  been 
madefpublic  and  which  the  exhibitors  by  implication  accepted 
as  just  by  the  act  of  entering  their  animals.  It  is  open  to 
the  reader  to  put  such  interpretation  upon  the  recorded  facts 
as  may  seem  just  to  him;  the  Station  has  fulfilled  its  part 
when  it  has  reported  the  facts  truly  and  fully. 

Finally,  it  scarcely  needs  mention  that  such  a scale  of 
points  as  the  one  here  adopted  cannot,  in  the  nature  of 
things,  be  absolutely  just  to  every  individual  cow.  If  it  cor- 
responds as  nearly  as  possible  with  the  average  of  good 
cows  under  normal  conditions,  it  is  all  that  can  be  expected. 
The  Station  will  welcome  any  suggestions  as  to  improve- 
ments in  the  rules  for  future  tests,  should  such  be  made. 


REPORT  ON  TESTS  OF  DAIRY  COWS. 


University  of  Wisconsin. 

Agricultural  Experiment  Station. 

Madison,  Wis.,  Oct.  1,  1886. 

Hon.  Clinton  Babbitt, 

Secretary  State  Agricultural  Society: 

Bear  Sir  — I have  the  honor  to  present  the  following  re- 
port upon  the  tests  of  dairy  cows  conducted  under  my  super- 
vision at  the  late  State  Fair  in  competition  for  the  premiums 
offered  by  your  Society  for  the  best  milk,  butter  and  cheese 
cow,  respectively,  under  the  following  rules: 

RULES  FOR  TESTING  MILK,  BUTTER  AND  CHEESE  COWS. 

1.  The  competition  shall  be  open  to  all  cows,  without  distinction  of 
breed,  but  no  cow  shall  compete  for  more  than  one  of  the  premiums. 

2.  Each  exhibitor  shall  make  to  the.  society  a certified  statement  of  the 
age  and  time  of  last  calving  of  each  cow  entered. 

3.  Each  animal  may  be  fed  as  the  exhibitor  may  desire,  but  all  food 
given  during  the  test  and  for  twelve  hours  before  shall  be  weighed  out  by 
the  person  supervising  the  test,  and  a record  of  the  amount  consumed 
shall  be  kept  by  him. 

4.  The  cows  shall  be  milked  twice  daily  for  two  consecutive  days  in  the 
presence  of  the  person  supervising  the  test,  who  shall  keep  a record  of  the 
number  of  pounds  of  milk  yielded  at  each  milking. 

5.  The  average  chemical  composition  of  the  milk  produced  by  each  cow 
during  the  test  shall  be  determined  (so  far  as  is  necessary  for  the  purposes 
of  the  test)  by  chemical  analysis. 

6.  Each  cow  shall  then  be  credited  with  the  number  of  points  due  her 
according  to  the  following  scale: 

For  Milk  — 1 point  for  every  10  days  since  calving;  1 point  for  every 
ounce  of  total  solid  matter  produced  in  24  hours. 

For  Butter  — 1 point  for  every  ten  days  since  calving;  3 points  for  every 
ounce  of  fat  produced  in  24  hours. 

For  Cheese  — 1 point  for  every  10  days  since  calving;  3 points  for  every 
ounce  of  protein  produced  in  24  hours;  if  the  amount  of  fat  produced 
is  less  than  one  and  one-seventh  times  the  protein,  deduct  3 points  for 
every  ounce  deficiency. 

7.  A public  report  shall  be  made  on  each  cow,  stating  her  age,  breed, 
date  of  last  calving,  the  food  eaten,  the  amount  of  milk  produced,  the  re- 
sult of  the  chemical  analysis,  and  the  number  of  points  awarded  the  cow 
on  each  count.  The  cow  receiving  the  largest  number  of  points  in  her 
class  shall  be  entitled  to  the  premium. 


7 


Eight  cows  were  entered  for  these  tests,  as  follows: 


For  Milk. 


Name. 

Breed. 

Owner. 

Age. 

Calved. 

Weight. 

Schoone,  5995. 
Gabriel  Cham- 

Holstein 

Fresian . 

H.  Rust  & 
Bros.,  North 
Green  field 
Wis 

3 

July  23,  ’86 

1030  lbs. 

pion, 14102. 
Sister  Rex, 

13194. 

Jersey  

*John  , Boyd, 
Chicago,  111. 
*John  Boyd, 
Chicago,  111. 
HenryBoorse, 
M i lwaukee, 
Wis 

Jersey 

6 

Aug  4, ’86 

840  lbs. 

Beauty 

5 

Aug.  13,  ’86 

840  lbs. 

3 

June  1,’86 

1020  lbs. 

For  Butter. 


Name. 

Breed. 

Owner. 

Age. 

Calved. 

Weight. 

Fyke,  6527  . . . 
Gabriel  Cham- 

Holstein 

Friesian . 

Jersey 

Butler  & Hem- 
mingway, 
Oconomo- 
woc,  Wis. 
*John  Boyd 
Chicago,  111. 
*John  Boyd 
Chicago,  111. 
I.  J.  Clapp, 
Kenosha, Wis 
Henry  Boorse, 
Milwaukee, 
Wis 

3 

July  23, ’86. 

1040  lbs. 

pion,  14102.. 
Sister  Rex, 
13194 

Jersey 

6 

Aug.  4,  ’86. 

t/5 

x 

o 

00 

5 

Aug.  13,  ’86. 
May  26,  ’86. 

840  lbs. 

Coraline,  1190. 
Rosa 

Guernsey  . . . 

6 

960  lbs. 

10 

June  21,  ’86 

990  lbs. 

*Mr.  Boyd,  not  being  a resident  of  Wisconsin,  was  debarred  by  the  So- 
ciety’s rules  from  competing  for  the  premium.  He  was  therefore  allowed 
to  enter  his  animals  for  test  in  all  three  classes. 


8 


For  Cheese. 


Name. 

Breed. 

Owner. 

Age. 

Calved. 

Weight. 

Akkrummer, 
6008 

Holstein 

Friesian. 

H . R u s t & 
Bros.,  North 
Greenfi  eld, 
W is  

Gabriel  Cham- 

3 

J une  13,  ’86. 

890  lbs. 

pion,  14102  . 

Sister  Rex, 
13194 

Jersey  

*John  Boyd, 
Chicago,  111. 

*John  Boyd, 
Chicago,  111. 

Jersey 

6 

Aug.  4,  ’86. 

840  lbs. 

5 

Aug.  13, ’86. 

840  lbs. 

*See  note  on  previous  page. 


The  cows  Rosa  and  Beauty,  according  to  the  statement  of 
the  owner,  were  bred  as  follows: 

Rosa,  out  of  a cow  believed  to  be  half  Devon  and  half 
Short-horn  by  a half  blood  Devon  bull. 

Beauty,  out  of  Rosa  by  a half  blood  Short-horn  bull. 

Rosa  was,  consequently,  about  i Devon,  i Short-horn,  and 
i unknown;  Beauty  was  about  i Devon,  f Sbort-horn,  and 
f unknown. 

The  cows  were  weighed  by  me  at  the  beginning  of  the 
test.  The  remaining  particulars  in  the  above  tables  are 
based  on  certified  written  statements  of  the  owners. 

At  6 P.  M.  on  September  2Lst  the  cows  were  milked  dry 
by  the  owners  in  my  presence  and  immediately  placed  under 
lock  and  key,  and  from  that  time  until  the  conclusion  of  the 
test,  at  6 P.  M.  on  September  23d,  no  person  was  allowed 
access  to  them  except  in  my  presence  or  that  of  an  officer 
of  the  agricultural  society.  The  weights  of  food  and  milk 
reported  below  were  taken  by  me  personally  in  the  presence 
of  the  owners  of  the  animals  or  their  representatives,  and 
of  one  and  sometimes  two  officers  of  the  agricultural  society. 
The  cows  were  milked  twice  daily,  at  6 A.  M.  and  6 P.  M. 
Each  cow’s  milk  was  at  once  weighed,  and,  after  being  thor- 
oughly mixed,  was  sampled  for  analysis,  and  the  united 
samples  from  the  morning’s  and  night’s  milking  of  each 
day  were  sent  to  the  laboratory  of  the  station  at  Madison 
for  chemical  analysis.  Each  sample  was  designated  by  a 


9 


number  only,  and  the  chemist  who  made  the  analyses  had 
no  knowledge  of  the  source  of  the  samples  except  that  they 
were  from  these  tests. 

Having  thus  stated  exactly  how  the  test  was  conducted,  I 
proceed  to  give  the  results,  taking  up  the  three  classes 
separately: 

THE  BEST  MILK  COW. 

The  following  are  the  amounts  of  grain  feed  consumed  by 
each  of  the  cows  in  this  class.  Each  received  in  addition 


hay  ad  libitum. 


Name. 

Breed. 

Sept 

21. 

Sept.  22. 

Sept.  23. 

Average  for 
24  hours. 

P.  M. 

A.  M. 

- 

Noon. 

P.  M. 

A.  M. 

Noon. 

lbs.  oz. 

Ibs.oz. 

lbs ■ oz 

Ibs.oz: 

Ibs.oz. 

Ibs.oz. 

lbs. 

Schoone 

Holstein  . 

5 12 

5 12 

5 12 

5 9* 

5 124 

5 12 

17.19 

Gabriel  Cham- 

pion   

Jersey  . . . 

6 12 

7 0 

7 2 

6 5 

13.59 

Sister  Rex 

Jersey  . . . 

7 0 

7 0 

6 14 

6 12 

13.81 

Beauty 

6 3 

6 1 

5 12 

£5  12* 

5 13 

5 104 

17.63 

For  convenience  in  comparison,  the  averages  for  24 
hours  are  given  in  pounds  and  hundredths  instead  of  pounds 
and  ounces.  The  kinds  and  proportions  of  grain  used,  as 
stated  by  the  owners,  were  as  follows: 

Schoone  — Wheat  middlings. 

Gabriel  Champion  and  Sister  Rex — Bran,  8 qts;  ground  oats,  4 qts;  corn 
meal,  1 qt. ; Blatchford’s  Royal  Stock  Food,  1 qt. 

Beauty. — Equal  parts  by  measure  of  corn  meal  and  bran. 


The  following  are  the  amounts  of  milk  produced  by  these 
cows  during  the  test: 


Name. 

Breed. 

Sept.  22. 

Sept.  23. 

Average  for 
24  hours. 

A.  M. 

P.  M. 

A.  M. 

P.  M. 

Schoone 

Gabriel  Champion. . 

Sister  Rex 

Beautv 

Holstein 

Jersey  

1 Jersey 

lbs.  oz. 
21  11 
14  9 

16  6 
20  8 

lbs.  oz. 
19  124 
13  3 
16  2 
17  4 

lbs.  oz. 
22  3 
15  2 

17  0 

18  54 

lbs.  oz. 
20  8 
12  13 
14  1 
16  124 

lbs. 

42.08 

27.84 

31.78 

36.44 

10 


The  analyses  showed  that  the  milk  from  these  cows  con- 
tained the  following  percentages  of  total  solids: 


Sept.  22.  Sept.  23. 

Schoone 12.79  per  cent.  12.23  per  cent. 

Gabriel  Champion 14 . 72  per  cent.  12.82  per  cent . 

Sister  Rex 14.30  per  cent.  14.86  per  cent. 

Beauty 13.84  per  cent.  13.87  per  cent. 


Consequently  the  following  ai  ounts  of  total  solids  were 
produced  during  the  test: 


Sept.  22. 

Sept.  23. 

Average 
for  24  hrs. 

Schoone  

84 . 86  oz . 

83.52  oz. 

84. 19  oz. 

Gabriel  Champion 

65 . 36  oz . 

57.31  oz. 

61 . 34  oz . 

Sister  Rex 

74.35  oz. 

73.87  oz. 

74.11  oz . 

Beauty 

83.60  oz. 

77.96  oz. 

80.78  oz. 

According  to  the  scale  of  points  adopted,  then,  these  cows 
should  be  credited  as  follows: 


1 point  for  every 
10  days  since  calv- 
ing. 

1 point  for  every 
ounce  total  solids 
in  24  hours. 

Total. 

Schoone  

6.00 

84.19 

90.19 

Gabriel  Champion 

4.80 

61.34 

66.14 

Sister  Rex 

3.90 

74.11 

78.01 

Beauty 

11.20 

80.78 

91.98 

The  cow  Beauty,  owned  by  Henry  Boorse,  of  Milwaukee, 
having  earned  the  greatest  number  of  points,  is  entitled  to 
the  premium  offered  for  the  best  milk  cow. 

It  should  be  specially  noted  in  this  connection  that  the 
scale  of  points  used  in  these  tests  is  entirely  unlike  the  scales 
used,  for  example,  in  judging  pure-bred  cattle  or  dairy  pro- 
ducts. In  this  scale  there  is  no  fixed  number,  as  50  or  100, 
indicating  perfection.  The  only  limits  to  the  number  of 
points  a cow  may  earn  in  these  tests  are  those  fixed  by  the 
possibilities  of  breeding  and  feeding. 


11 


THE  BEST  BUTTER  COW. 

The  names,  ages,  etc.,  of  the  cows  entered  for  this  pre- 
mium have  already  been  given  on  page  7.  The  following 
tables  contain  the  particulars  regarding  the  feeding,  and 
the  amount  and  composition  of  the  milk: 


Grain  Feed  Eaten. 


Name. 

Breed. 

Sep.2i 

Sept.  22. 

Sept.  23. 

Aver- 
age 
for  24 
hours. 

P.  M. 

A.  M. 

Noon. 

P.  M. 

A.M. 

Noon. 

lbs.  oz 

lbs.  oz. 

lbs.  oz. 

lbs.  oz 

'bs.  oz. 

lbs.  oz. 

lbs. 

Fyke 

Holstein 

3 2 

4 1 

4 0 

5 0 

5 0 

5 0 

13.09 

Gabriel 

Champion 

Jersey  

6 12 

7 0 

7 2 

6 5 

13.59 

Sister  Rex. . . . 

Jersey 

7 0 

7 0 

6 14 

6 12 

13.81 

Cora.linp.  . 

Guernsey  . . . 

5 2 

6 3 

6 13 

6 13 

12.47 

Rosa 

6 8 

5 15i 

5 i)l 

5 151 

6 3 

6 0 

18.11 

The  kinds  and  proportions  of  grain  used,  as  stated  by  the 
owners,  were  as  follows: 

Fyke — £ each  of  com  meal,  oat  meal  and  barley  meal,  by  measure;  100 
pounds  of  this  mixture  added  to  100  pounds  of  bran. 

Gabriel  Champion  and  Sister  Rex . — See  above,  page  9. 

Coraline. — Equal  parts  of  oats  and  bran  by  measure.  The  first  feed  con- 
tained also  about  i pound  of  corn  meal  and  | pound  Blatchford’s  Royal 
Stock  Food. 

Rosa. — Equal  parts  of  corn  meal  and  bran  by  measure. 


The  following  are  the  amounts  of  milk  produced  by  these 
cows  during  the  test: 


Name. 

Breed. 

Sept.  22. 

Sept.  23. 

•SB 

A.  M. 

P.  M. 

A.  M. 

P.  M. 

2- 
<D  Ttl 

<1 

Fyke 

Holstein 

lbs.  oz. 
14  1| 
14  9 

lbs.  oz. 
14  4 

lbs.  oz. 
13  15 

lbs.  oz. 
13  3 

lbs. 

27.73 

Gabriel  Champion. . 

Jersey  

13  3 

15  2 

12  13 

27.84 

Sister  Rex 

Jersey 

16  6 

16  2 

17  0 

14  1 

31.78 

Coraline 

Guernsey 

11  9 

11  4 

12  6* 

11  12 

23.48 

Rosa 

20  2i 

16  2i 

20  2 

18  5 

37.38 

12 


The  following  are  the  percentages  of  total  solids  and  fat 
found  in  the  milk  by  analysis.  The  percentages  of  total 
solids  are  given  as  a matter  of  interest,  although  they  hav  e 
no  bearing  on  the  result  of  the  test  for  butter. 


Solids. 

Fat 

Sept.  22. 

Sept.  23. 

Sept.  22. 

Sept.  23. 

Fyke 

10.96 

10.78 

2.93 

2.75 

Gabriel  Champion 

14.72 

12.82 

5.25 

5.43 

Sister  Rex t . . . 

14.30 

14.86 

4.33 

4.59 

Coraline 

14.49 

14.32 

5.07 

4.91 

Rosa 

14.62 

13.87 

5.16 

4.26 

From  these  data  it  appears  that  the  total  amounts  of  fat 
produced  during  the  test  were  as  follows: 


Sept.  22. 

Sept.  23. 

Av’ge  for 
24  hours . 

Fyke 

13.29  oz. 

11.93  oz. 

12.61  oz. 

Gabriel  Champion 

23.31  oz. 

24.28  oz. 

23.80  cz. 

Sister  Rex 

22.52  oz. 

22.81  oz. 

22.67  oz. 

Coraline 

18.50  oz. 

18.98  oz. 

18  74  oz. 

Rosa 

29.97  oz. 

26 . 20  oz . 

28.09  oz. 

According  to  the  scale  of  points  adopted,  these  cows 
should  be  credited  as  follows: 


A 

1 point  for 
every  ten 
days  since 
calving. 

Three  points 
foi  every 
ounce  fat 
in  twenty- 
four  hours. 

Total. 

Fyke 

6.00 

37.83 

43.83 

Gabriel  Champion 

4.80 

71.40 

76.20 

Sister  Rex. . . 

3.90 

68.01 

71.91 

Coraline 

11.80 

56.22 

68.02 

Rosa 

9.20 

84.27 

93.47 

13 


The  cow  Rosa,  owned  by  Heny  Boorse,  of  Milwaukee, 
having  earned  the  greatest  number  of  points,  is  entitled  to 
the  premium  offered  for  the  best  butter  cow. 

THE  BEST  CHEESE  COW. 

The  tests  of  the  animals  entered  for  this  premium  were 
conducted  in  the  same  manner  and  with  the  same  care  as 
those  in  the  other  two  classes.  The  samples  reached  the 
chemical  laboratory  in  good  order  and  the  determinations  of 
protein  were  begun  upon  duplicate  portions  of  each  sample, 
and  were  carried  out  by  the  chemist  by  an  approved 
method,  and  with  every  precaution  to  ensure  accuracy. 
Most  unfortunately,  however,  all  the  determinations  met 
with  an  accident  before  they  were  completed  which  ren- 
dered the  results  entirely  worthless,  and  by  this  time  so 
much  time  had  already  been  consumed  that  the  remainder 
of  the  milk  had  become  so  sour  and  decomposed  that  it 
was  not  possible  to  repeat  the  analyses. 

Consequently,  although  all  the  weighings  of  feed  and  milk 
were  made,  the  failure  of  the  chemical  analyses  renders  it 
impossible  to  compute  the  number  of  points  earned  by  the 
cows  in  the  test.  I need  not  say  that  I greatly  regret  the  ac- 
cident, but  it  seems  to  have  been  one  of  those  which  no  fore- 
sight can  entirely  guard  against. 

As  a matter  of  some  general  interest,  the  feed,  and  the 
amount  and  partial  composition  of  the  milk  of  the  Holstein 
cow,  Akkrummer,  are  given  below.  Similar  details  concern- 
ng  the  two  Jersey  cows  have  already  been  given  (pages  9 
and  12). 


Grain  Feed.  (Wheat  Middlings.) 


Sept.  21,  P.  M 6 lb.*.,  13  oz. 

Sept.  22,  A.  M 5 lbs.,  12  oz 

Sept.  22,  Noon 5 lbs.,  12  oz. 

Sept.  22,  P.  M 5 lbs.,  8 oz 

Sept.  23,  A.  M 5 lbs.,  12  oz. 

Sept.  23,  Noon 5 lbs.,  12  oz 

Average  for  24  hours 17.66  lbs. 


Sept.  22, 
Sept.  22, 

Sept.  23, 
Sept.  23, 


A.  M 
P.  M 


P.  M 


Quantity. 

16  lbs., 12  oz.  ) 
14  lbs.,  0 oz.  j 

161bs.,li  oz.. ) 
14  lbs., 7 oz.  ) 

Per  ct. 

Per  ct. 

solids. 

fat. 

12.06 

3.60 

11.14 

2.84 

Respectfully  submitted, 

H.  P.  ARMSBY, 
Associate  Director. 


UNIVERSITY  OF  WISCONSIN. 


Agricultural  Experiment  Station, 


BULLETIN  NO.  11. 


REPORT  ON  WHEAT,  OATS,  BARLEY,  POTATOES, 
AND  CORN  FOR  1886. 


MADISON,  WISCONSIN,  APRIL,  1887. 


DEMOCRAT  COMPANY,  STATE  PRINTERS. 


ft 


«r 


$W*The  Bulletins  and  Annual  Reports  of  this  Station  are 
sent  free  to  all  residents  of  the  State  who  request  it.  \ 


UNIVERSITY  OF  WISCONSIN 


Agricultural  Experiment  Station. 


COMMITTEE  OF  ABOARD  OF  REGENTS  IN  CHARGE 
OF  THE  STATION. 

Hon.  HIRAM  SMITH,  Chairman,  - Sheboygan  Falls. 

Hon.  H.  D.  HITT,  - Oakfield. 

Hon.  C.  H.  WILLIAMS,  ....  Baraboo. 


OFFICERS  OF  THE  STATION. 

Prof.  W.  A.  HENRY,  Agr.  B.,  - - Director. 

Prof.  H.  P.  ARMSBY,  Ph.  D.,  - - Associate  Director. 

Chemists. 

LESLIE  H.  ADAMS,  - Foreman. 


F.  G.  SHORT, 

F.  W.  A.  WOLL,  M.  S., 


Office, 

Chemical  Laboratory, 
Botanioal  Laboratory, 


16  Agricultural  Hall. 
18  Agricultural  Hall. 
12  Agricultural  Hall. 


Experimental  Fields  and  Barn  on  the  University  Farm. 


TELEPHONE  CONNECTIONS. 


INTRODUCTORY. 


Through  the  months  of  May,  June,  July  and  half  of 
August,  1886,  a great  drougth  prevailed  over  several  of  the 
North  western  States.  The  rainfall  for  Madison  as  shown  by 
the  rain  guage  of  the  Washburn  Observatory  for  the  months 
named,  and  the  mean  rainfall  for  the  same  months  from 
1853  to  1885,*  are  given  in  the  following  table: 


Rainfall  at  Madison. 


Mean  annu- 
al rainfall, 
1853  to  1885. 

Rainfall  in 
1886. 

Inches. 

Inches. 

May 

3.68 

2.02 

June 

4.79 

1.08 

July 

4.55 

0.79 

August 

3.41 

5.05f 

tUp  to  August  16th,  only  0.49  inch. 


The  rainfall  for  April  was  normal,  as  shown  by  the  Ob- 
servatory guage,  but  for  the  three  succeeding  months,  when 
it  should  have  been  something  like  thirteen  inches  w a 
less  than  four  inches,  and  this  small  amount  distributed  in 
a way  to  afford  little  or  no  relief  to  suffering  vegetation. 
For  the  first  fifteen  days  in  August  only  a total  of  0.49  of  an 
inch  fell,  but  on  the  16th  of  that  month  a very  general  and 
heavy  rainstorm  brought  relief. 

Since  the  drought  began  with  May,  and  did  not  end  until 
the  middle  of  August,  the  various  crops,  though  all  suffer- 
ing more  or  less,  were  differently  affected;  the  small  grains, 
as  a rule,  gave  much  better  returns  than  was  thought  possi- 
ble from  the  very  short  straw.  Both  grain  and  straw  were 

* Publications  of  the  Washburn  Observatory,  IV.,  pp.  210-213. 


5 


unusually  bright  and  clean,  resembling  that  grown  in  dis- 
tricts where  rain  does  not  fall  after  early  spring. 

Early  planted  corn,  for  the  most  part,  gave  a fair  yield,  es- 
pecially where  tillage  was  well  kept  up. 

Potatoes  showed  a wide  range  of  returns,  the  early  vari- 
eties doing  much  better  than  the  late  ones.  The  former  had 
made  what  growth  they  could,  and  died  before  the  drought 
was  broken;  the  late  varieties  having  set  few  or  no  tubers 
before  the  rains  came,  started  to  grow  again,  and  were 
caught  by  the  frosts  of  September  with  tubers  in  a very  im- 
mature condition. 

The  unfortunate  character  of  the  season  should  be  borne 
in  mind  when  studying  the  tables  ol  yields  per  acre;  very 
large  yields  were  for  the  most  part  impossible. 


The  Station  cannot  this  year  supply  any  of  the  varieties  of 
seeds  or  grain  named  in  this  bulletin.  The  names  of  the  sev- 
eral seedsmen  from  whom  our  stock  of  seed  or  grain  came 
are  given  in  most  cases  in  the  tables  showing  yield;  the  post 
office  address  of  these  parties  is  given  at  the  end  of  the  bul- 
letin. 


WINTER  WHEAT. 


Thirty-four  varieties  of  winter  wheat  were  sown  Septem- 
ber 22,  1885,  on  carefully  prepared  land,  thoroughly  under- 
drained. Each  plat  was  one-fortieth  of  an  acre  in  area.  The 
seed  was  sown  broadcast,  by  hand,  at  the  rate  of  If  bushels 
per  acre.  All  the  varieties  were  from  home-grown  seed,  ex- 
cept the  last  three  on  the  list,  which  were  from  the  Depart- 
ment of  Agriculture,  Washington.  Four  other  varieties 
received  from  the  Department,  labeled  Genoese,  Indian, 
White  Crimean  and  Egyptian,  were  sown,  but  winter-killed 
completely.  The  table  gives  the  varieties,  yield,  etc. 


6 


Yield  of  Winter  Wheat  for  1886. 


Name  ofVariety. 

When  ripe. 

Height  of  standing  grain. 

Yield  of 
1-40  acre. 

Rate  per 
acre. 

Grain. 

1 

$ 

Jh 

-4J 

m 

Grain. 

Straw. 

July. 

ft. 

lbs. 

lbs. 

bu. 

lbs. 

Washington  Glass 

12 

4.8 

56* 

81* 

37.6 

3,250 

Wysor 

18 

53 

85 

35.3 

3,400 

Spark’s  Swamp 

9 

56* 

87* 

37.6 

3,500 

Heige’s  Prolific 

12 

4.6 

58 

76 

38.6 

3,040 

Champion  Amber. 

12 

4.3 

73* 

84* 

49.0 

3,380 

Martin’s  Amber 

13 

4.9 

58* 

93f 

38.8 

3,750 

Egyptian 

12 

4.5 

57* 

86£ 

38.3 

3,400 

Tasmanian  Red 

9 

4.5 

54 

90 

36.0 

3,  600 

Bearded  Treadwell 

12 

4.5 

58f 

93* 

39.1 

3,730 

Russian  No.  2 

18 

4.5 

53* 

74* 

35.6 

2,980 

Nigger 

10 

4.4 

52* 

63* 

35.0 

2,540 

Michigan  Bronze 

10 

4.3 

54 

62 

36.0 

2,480 

Landreth 

13 

4.8 

57 

89 

38.0 

3,560 

Finley 

10 

4.3 

50 

74 

33.3 

2,960 

Valley 

13 

4.5 

54* 

81* 

36.3 

3,250 

White  Rogers 

13 

4.2 

44 

68 

29.3 

2,720 

Velvet  Chaff 

8 

4.2 

54* 

89* 

36.3 

3,580 

Sib.  Hyb.  Mediterranean 

12 

4.1 

46f 

67* 

31.1 

2,690 

Ostrey 

12 

4.0 

47 

65 

31.3 

2,600 

Hung.  White  Chaff 

8 

4.6 

63 

91 

42.0 

3,  640 

Theiss ... 

12 

4.4 

67 

89 

44.6 

3,  560 

Bennet 

12 

4.5 

60 

110 

40.0 

4,400 

Zimmerman 

12 

4.0 

52 

92 

41.3 

3,680 

Arnold’s  G.  Medal 

12 

4.1 

60* 

81f 

40.1 

3,270 

Rocky  Mountain.  

10 

3.9 

57* 

112* 

38.3 

4,500 

Sandomirka 

10 

4.4 

62 

94 

34.6 

3,760 

York  White  Chaff 

13 

4.2 

66f 

105* 

44.5 

4,210 

E.  Early  Oakley 

6 

3.6 

47 

61 

31.3 

2,440 

Diehl  Mediterranean 

9 

4.1 

55* 

86* 

37.0 

3,460 

Me  Gehee  White 

6 

3.8 

48* 

7lf 

32.1 

2, 870 

7 


That  the  drought  did  not  materially  injure  this  crop  is 
shown  by  the  straw  attaining  full  height.  The  yield  is  good 
for  most  varieties,  and  excellent  for  one  or  two. 

With  but  few  exceptions  the  farm  has  grown  good  crops 
of  Winter  wheat  for  many  years  past,  while  Spring  wheat 
has  uniformly  been  poor  when  attempts  have  been  made  to 
grow  it.  This  Farm  early  introduced  and  disseminated  the 
Fultz  and  Clawson  and  other  varieties  of  Winter  wheat, 
but  for  all  this  little  good  seems  to  have  been  derived  by  the 
farmers  of  our  state.  I suspect  our  farm  is  better  adapted 
to  this  crop  than  most  of  the  farms  in  the  state,  and  that 
the  careful  preparation  of  the  soil  at  planting  time  also  as- 
sists to  give  good  returns. 

In  the  following  table  the  yield  of  the  several  varieties 
grown  in  four  years  is  given,  that  anyone  interested  can  see 
how  each  has  done  with  us. 

With  the  agriculture  of  the  state  wisely  tending  away 
from  wheat  growing  rather  than  towards  it,  which  move- 
ment is  hastened  by  the  prospective  low  prices  for  this  grain 
in  the  markets,  experiments  in  wheat  growing  seem  of 
doubtful  utility  and  will  probably  be  abandoned  at  this  date 
for  other  lines  of  work,  which  give  more  promise  of  valu- 
able returns. 


8 


Yield  of  all  the  varieties  of  Winter  wheat  groivn  at  the  Station  for  the 
last  four  seasons.  (In  even  bushels.) 


Name  of  variety. 


Yield  for 
1886. 


Yield  for 
1885. 


Yield  for  Yield  for 
1884.  1883. 


Bu. 


Bu. 


Bu. 


Bu. 


Sandomirka 

Hungarian  White  Chaff 

Velvet  Chaff 

Russian  No.  2 

Theiss 

Heige’s  Prolific 

Arnold’s  Gold  Medal 

Champion  Amber 

Wysor 

Bennet 

Finley 

Egyptian 

Ostrey 

Spark’s  Swamp 

White  Rogers 

Washington  Glass 

Martin’s  Amber 

*Hallet’s  Original  Red 

Sibley’s  Hybrid  Mediterranean. 

Valley 

Zimmerman 

Rocky  Mountain 

Nigger 

Tasmanian  Red 

York  White  Chaff 

Landreth 

Bearded  Treadwell 

Michigan  Bronze 

Extra  Early  Oakley 

Diehl  Mediterranean 

McGehee  White 


34 
42 

36 

35 
44 
38 
40 
49 
35 
40 
33 
38 
31 

37 
29 

37 

38 


31 

36 

41 

38 

35 

36 
44 

38 

39 

36 

31 

37 

32 


28 

33 

32 

27 

39 

28 
20 

27 
21 
38 
26 

29 
21 
24 
19 
17 
32 

0 

26 

28 
24 

40 

30 

31 

29 

30 

32 
30 


40 

40 

38 

48 

43 

43 

42 
55 

43 
38 
52 

48 

49 

40 

50 

41 

41 
37 

42 


28 

28 

32 

30 

32 

28 


* Not  grown  in  1886. 


9 


OATS. 

Twenty-five  varieties  of  oats  were  sown  April  21st,  on 
plats  of  one-twentieth  of  an  acre  each,  with  seed  at  the  rate 
of  2%  bushels  per  acre.  The  table  below  gives  the  results: 


Yield  of  Oats  for  1886. 


Name  of  Variety. 

Date  of  Maturity. 

Height  of  stand- 
ing grain. 

Weight  of  struck 
bushel. 

Yield  of 

A 

Rate  per 
acre. 

Where  seed  was 
obtained. 

Grain. 

j Straw. 

Grain. 

Straw. 

J’ly 

feet 

lbs. 

lbs. 

lbs. 

bu. 

lbs. 

Welcome 

19 

3.4 

38 

69 

154 

43.1 

3080 

Vaughan. 

State  of  N.  Dakota 

21 

2.9 

32 

80! 

178 

50.3 

3560 

Vaughan. 

Waterloo 

19 

3.4 

39 

73 

164 

45.6 

3280 

Henderson. 

Im.  White  Russian 

29 

2.7 

m 

65 

178 

40.6 

3560 

Vaughan. 

Hopedown 

21 

3.8 

38| 

80 

182 

50.0 

3640 

Henderson. 

Holland 

24 

2.8 

35 

90 

196 

56.2 

3920 

Huebner. 

Black  Tartarian  

29 

3.0 

32J 

90 

200 

56.2 

4000 

Henderson. 

Kansas  Hybrid 

29 

2.7 

31! 

80! 

178 

50.3 

3560 

Vaughan. 

Bonanza  

22 

4.1 

41 

96! 

218 

60.3 

4360 

Vaughan. 

White  Swede 

27 

3.0 

34 

97! 

206 

60.9 

4120 

Vaughan. 

Rural  Hybrid 

29 

3.1 

35! 

92 

202 

57.5 

4040 

Vaughan. 

Yankee  

29 

3.6 

36“ 

71! 

200 

44.7 

4000 

J.A.Ev’rett  &Co 

Swedish 

27 

3.2 

35 

98! 

204 

61.5 

4080 

Huebner. 

Black  Champion 

*7 

31 

56! 

150 

35.3 

3000 

Angell. 

Race  Horse 

23 

Th  2 

28 

100 

210 

62.5 

4200 

Vaughan. 

Black  Russian 

*7 

2.5 

31! 

66 

202 

41.2 

4040 

Vaughan. 

White  Belgum 

29 

3.1 

35 

94! 

216 

59.0 

4320 

Vaughan. 

White  Poland 

*2 

2.2 

34 

75! 

200 

47.1 

4000 

Henderson. 

Lost  Nation 

21 

3.7 

40! 

95! 

218 

59.6 

4360 

Angell. 

Egyptian 

24 

3.2 

39 

99 

226 

61.8 

4520 

Huebner. 

Badger  Queen 

21 

3.7 

41 

85 

194 

53.1 

3880 

Angell. 

White  Schonen 

24 

3.0 

36 

94 

206 

58.7 

4120 

Expt.  Station.  . 

Bohemian 

23 

2.4 

34 

35 

82 

21.9 

1980 

Sibley. 

White  Victoria 

23 

3.1 

36 

60 

152 

37.5 

3040 

Dept.  Agr. 

Harris 

19 

2.3 

28 

50 

112 

31.2 

2240 

Dept.  Agr. 

* August. 


It  was  thought  worthy  of  investigation  to  note  the  pro- 
portion of  kernel  to  hull  in  the  several  varieties  of  oats. 
Accordingly  100  grains  of  each  were  separated  into  kernel 
and  hull  and  carefully  weighed.  In  the  following  table 


JO 


the  weight  of  100  grains  is  given,  then  the  weight  of  the 
hulls,  then  the  per  cent,  of  hulls  to  the  whole  weight  of  the 
grain. 

Weight  of  100  grains  of  Oats  and  hulls  from  same. 


Name  of  Variety. 

Weight 
of  100 
grains. 

Hulls 

from 

100 

grains. 

Percent. 

Hulls. 

Color  of 
Grain. 

"W’plr'.nme 

Grams 

2.7679 

Grams 

0.9707 

35.06 

White 

Yellowish 

White 

State  of  N.  Dakota 

2.0963 

.6174 

26.45 

Waterloo 

2.5255 

.8840 

35.00 

Imp.  W.  Russian 

2.5175 

.8170 

32.44 

White 

Hopedown 

2.8917 

.9157 

31.62 

White 

White 

Holland 

2.8759 

.9228 

32.08 

Black  Tartarian 

2.8485 

.9058 

31.79 

Black 

Kansas  Hybrid 

3.0482 

.8052 

26.42 

Brown 

Bonanza 

2.8425 

.9592 

33.74 

White 

White  Swede 

2.6487 

.7841 

29.60 

White 

Rural  Hybrid 

2.7192 

.7668 

28.20 

White 

Yankee 

2.5737 

.7344 

28.53 

White 

Swedish 

3.1611 

.9447 

29.85 

Yellowish 

Black  Champion 

2.6676 

.7225 

27.08 

Black 

Race  Horse 

2.7117 

.8153 

30.07 

Dull  white 

Black  Russian 

2.2869 

.6586 

28.79 

Black 

White  Belgium 

2.6653 

.7462 

28.00 

White 

White  Poland 

2.7690 

.7546 

27.26 

White 

Lost  Nation 

2.9001 

1.0388 

35.82 

White 

Egyptian 

2.6710 

.8579 

32.12 

Dull  white 

Badger  Queen 

3.2675 

1.1530 

35.28 

White 

White  Schonen 

2.9739 

.8823 

29.66 

White 

Bohemian  or  Hulless 

2.4846 

.7790 

31.34 

White 

White  Victoria 

2.62^3 

.9317 

35.50 

White 

Harris 

2.6381 

.6806 

25.80 

Yellow 

It  will  be  seen  that  the  Harris  variety  has  only  25.80  per 
cent,  of  hull,  while  the  Lost  Nation  has  35.80. 

There  is  a difference  between  these  two  varieties  then  of 
ten  pounds  of  kernel  or  berry  of  the  oat  in  every  100  pounds 
of  grain.  This  is  a variation  of  no  small  importance.  The 
hull  of  the  oat  according  to  Richardson*  is  poorer  in  nitro- 
gen than  oat-straw,  but  considerably  richer  in 
starchy  matter.  It  cannot  have  a high  feeding  value 
at  most,  and  is  useful  for  the  most  part  probably,  in 
causing  the  masticated  grain  to  lie  loose  in  the  stomach. 
The  character  of  the  hull  is  such  that  it  necessitates  con- 


“*Third  Report  on  Chemical  Composition  and  Physical  Properties  of 
American  Cereals.’  Bulletin  No.  9,  Department  of  Agriculture,  page  4 2 


11 


siderable  mastication  before  it  can  be  swallowed  by  the 
horse,  and  this  is  a valuable  feature  no  doubt.  In  the  report 
before  referred"to  Mr.  Richardson  finds  an  oat  from  Dakota 
with  44.63  per  cent,  hull,  while  the  lowest  per  cent,  of  hull 
from  any  variety  came  from  Illinois  where  it  was  24.15  per 
cent.  The  Welcome  oats  have  a hard,  glossy  hull  which  as 
the  table  shows,  is  heavy.  The  White  Swede , Swedish  and 
Race  Horse  have  medium  weight  hulls,  and  gave  us  large 
yields  considering  the  season.  They  are  well  worthy  of 
further  trial. 

The  black  or  dark  hulled  varieties  do  not  appear  to  have 
heavier  hulls  than  the  light  colored  ones,  as  some  have  sup- 
posed. 

Some  of  the  grains  of  the  Bohemian  or  Hulless  were  found 
to  bear  hulls.  A hundred  of  them  were  selected  and  ex- 
amined with  the  others  and  about  an  average  weight  of  hull 
obtained.  We  have  grown  the  Bohemian  oat  for  several 
years  on  the  Experimental  Farm  and  see  nothing  in  it  to 
commend  it  to  public  favor.  As  the  grain  is  without  hulls 
it  is  a great  novelty  to  farmers  the  first  time  they  see  it,  and 
sharpers  use  it  very  successfully  in  too  many  cases  to  draw 
from  one  to  five  hundred  dollars  from  unsuspecting  parties 
— or  rather  from  farmers  who  would  help  along  swindling 
schemes,  but  are  themselves  caught. 

If  farmers  are  offered  Bohemian  oats  by  strangers  at  ten 
dollars  a bushel,  and  wish  to  invest,  let  them  send  to  this 
station,  and  it  will  give  them  the  address  of  seedsmen  who 
will  gladly  supply  this  variety  for  one-fifth  that  sum.  It  is 
about  time  this  very  old  game  was  played  out,  and  it  would  be 
were  it  not  for  an  unfortunate  combination  of  stupidity  and 
cupidity  which  some  possess. 

Dr.  Sturtevant,  Director  of  the  New  York  Experiment 
Station,  has  shown*  that  many  of  the  so-called  varieties  of 
oats  are  really  one  and  the  same;  no  attempt  has  been 
made  by  us  to  reduce  the  varieties,  but  we  give  each  as  it 
came  from  the  seedsman. 


^Fourth  An.  Report  of  the  N.  Y.  ExpL  Sta.  pp.  109-9. 


12 


BARLEY. 


Seven  varieties  of  barley  were  grown  on  plats  of  1-20  of 
an  acre  each;  the  seed  was  sown  April  22  at  the  rate  of  two 
bushels  per  acre. 


Yield  of  Barley  for  1886. 


Name  of  Variety. 

Date  of  matur- 
ity. 

Height  of  grain 
in  field. 

Yield  of 
1 20  acre. 

Rate  per 
acre. 

Weight  of  struck 
bushel. 

Where  seed  was 
obtained. 

Grain. 

Straw. 

Grain. 

Straw. 

Jly. 

feet. 

lbs. 

lbs. 

bu. 

lbs. 

lbs. 

Manshury 

10 

2.6 

79.5 

152 

33.1 

3,040 

47 

Experiment  Sta. 

Imperial 

10 

2.3 

70.5 

178 

29.3 

3, 560 

42 

C.  E.  Angell. 

Vermont  Champion. 

6 

2.8 

80.0 

168 

33.3 

3,360 

48.5 

P.  Henderson. 

Sibley’s  Imperial . . . 

13 

2.6 

74.5 

174 

31.0 

3,480 

44 

H.  Sibley. 

Chevalier 

19 

2.5 

55.5 

136 

23.1 

2, 720 

46.5 

H.  Sibley. 

Nepaul 

12 

2.5 

46.0 

96 

19.1 

1,920 

58 

H.  Sibley. 

Melon 

19 

2.2 

101. 

232 

42.5 

4,640 

47 

Washington. 

It  is  evident  that  the  drought  materially  injured  this  crop 
since  the  yield  of  most  varieties  runs  low. 

The  Manshury  does  not  show  any  superiority  in  this  trial 
over  some  of  the  others;  this  may  be  an  indication  that  it  is 
running  out,  but  no  other  variety  has  been  so  popular  as  this 
for  several  years  past  in  Wisconsin.  The  very  interesting 
history  of  the  Manshury  barley  is  given  in  the  First  Report 
of  the  Station,  how  the  seed  came  from  the  mountains  of 
Mantchooria,  China,  to  the  Experimental  Gardens  at  Sans 
Souci,  Germany,  and  from  there  to  Wisconsin  and  the  Ex- 
periment Station  farm  through  the  kindness  of  Henry 
Grunow,  Esq.,  Mifflin,  Iowa  county,  Wisconsin.  This  bit  of 


history  is  repeated  because  seedsmen  and  others  are  con- 
stantly stating  that  this  barley  originated  in  Canada. 

The  Melon  barley  appears  from  the  table  to  have  done 
much  better  than  any  of  the  others.  The  seed  of  this  va- 
riety came  from  the  Agricultural  Department,  Washington. 
We  shall  watch  its  growth  and  yield  this  season  with  unu- 
sual interest. 


imm  cork 


The  table  below  gives  the  varieties  of  Indian  corn  grown 
on  the  trial  plats  in  1886: 


Varieties  of  Corn  grown  in  1886. 


Name  of  Var- 
iety. 

Date  of  ripening. 
(Time  that  ears 
commenced  to 
dent.) 

Length  of  stalk. 

Size  of  ear. 

1 

4 

Color  of  grain. 

No.  of  rows  on  cob. 

Parties  from 
whom  corn  was 
obtained. 

Dent  Varie- 

Feet. 

Inches. 

ties. 

Badger  Dent  . . . 

Sept. 

7. 

6.4 

7 x2 

White 

18 

Lang. 

Queen  of  Prairie 

Sept. 

8. 

6 

8 xlf 

Yellow 

12-14 

Henders’n . 

Pride  of  North. . 

Sept. 

1. 

6.4 

8 x2 

Yellow 

12-16 

Sibley. 

Wason 

Sept. 

8. 

6.5 

9 xlf 

Yellow 

12-16 

Vaughan . 

North  Star  Dent 

Sept. 

1. 

5.5 

9^x2 

Yellow 

16 

Vaughan. 

Wis.Yeli’w  Dent 

Sept. 

1. 

6 

6fxlf 

Yellow 

16 

Vaughan. 

Wls.  White  Dent 

S<-pt. 

1. 

6 

7 x2 

White 

12 

Vaughan. 

Learning 

Sept. 

10. 

7 

10  x2-| 

Yellow 

Vaughan. 

Pride  of  Dakota 

Sept. 

5. 

6.5 

7*x2f 

Yellow 

18 

Swartz. 

Cranberry  W. 

Dent 

Sept. 

11. 

7 

10  x2 

Mixed 

16-20 

Vaughan. 

Dakota  Golden 

Dent  No.  2. . . 

Sept. 

5. 

6.5 

7 x2 

Yellow 

14 

Swartz. 

•i4 


Varieties  of  Corn  grown  in  1886. — Continued. 


Name  of  Var- 
iety. 

Date  of  ripening. 
(Time  that  ears 
commenced  to 
dent.) 

Length  of  stalk. 

Size  of  ear. 

1 

Color  of  grain. 

No.  of  rows  on  cob. 

Parties  from 
whom  corn  was 
obtained. 

Parish  W.  Dent. 
Dakota  G.  Dent 

Sept.  11. 

9.5 

10  x2 

White 

16-20 

Vaughan. 

No.  1 

Sept . 3 . 
Sept.  11. 

7 

7 x2 

Yellow 

16 

Swartz. 

Ellis  Imp.L’am’g 

7.5 

8 x2 

Yellow 

Vaughan. 

Champion  Pearl 

Sept.  11. 

7 

8fx2 

White 

16-20 

Vaughan. 

Calico 

Chester  Co. 

Sept.  10. 

7 

8 xlf 

Mixed 

14-18 

Vaughan. 

Mammoth. . . . 

Sept.  11. 

7 

12  x2f 

White 

16-20 

Vaughan. 

W’shingt’n 

Little  Willie 

Flint  Varie- 
ties. 

Very  late. 

8 

7 xlf 

White 

12-14 

Mandan  Indian . 

Aug . 9 . 

4 

6 xlf 

Various  .... 

8 

Vaughan. 

French  E.  Yell’w 

Aug.  21. 

5 

5 xlf 

Yellow 

16 

Vaughan. 

Browning 

Sept.  1. 

5 

9 xlf 

Orange 

8 

Bragg. 

Self  Husking  . . . 
Angel  of  Mid- 

Aug. 21. 

6.5 

8 xlf 

Yellow 

8 

Henders’n . 

night  

Sept . 1 . 

5.5 

9 xlf 

Yellow 

8 

Angell. 

Gold’n  Dewdrop 

Sept.  1. 

5.5 

8 xlf 

Yellow 

8 

Henders’n . 

White  Sm’t  Nose 

Sept.  1. 

5.5 

10  xlf 

White 

8 

Pel  ton. 

Waushakum  . . . 

Sept.  1. 

5.5 

9 xlf 

White 

8 

Sibley. 

Pierce’s  Canada. 

Sept.  1. 

5.5 

9 xlf 

Yellow 

8 

Vaughan. 

Top  Over 

Sept . 5 . 

4.5 

9 xlf 

Yellow 

8 

Vaughan. 

Silver  Flint 

Sept.  10. 

6 

12  xlf 

White  

8 

Vaughan . 

Chadwick 

W innebago 

Aug.  15. 

5 

8 xlf 

1 White 

8 

Vaughan. 

White 

Aug.  15. 

5 

8 xlf 

White 

8 

Vaughan. 

Longfellow 

Sept.  1. 

5.5 

10  xlf 

Yellow 

8 

Vaughan. 

King  Philip. . . . 

Sept.  5. 

6 

10  x2 

Dark  yellow 

8 

Vaughan. 

The  drought  affected  the  corn  crop  so  seriously  that  state- 
ments in  regard  to  the  several  varieties  tried  can  can  be 
made  only  general,  and  we  cannot  be  as  specific  as  we  should 
to  materially  aid  farmers  in  selecting  the  best  varieties. 
The  Station  has  not  yet  found  any  varieties  superior  to  the 
Pride  of  the  North  for  Wisconsin  when  an  early  maturing 
dent  corn  is  desired.  It  would  seem  that  this  is  but  a smaller 
form  of  the  Learning  which  is  very  properly  a favorite  va- 
riety further  south.  Three  varieties  in  the  list,  from  Mr.  W. 
H.  Schwartz,  seem  worthy  of  careful  observation  this  year. 


15 


They  are  similar  to  the  Pride  of  the  North.  The  Little 
Willie,  from  Agricultural  Department,  Washington,  is  en- 
tirely too  late  ripening  for  this  state.  The  Self-Husk- 
ing flint  is  a variety  with  loose  husks  and  possesses 
no  value  whatever  for  this  reason.  The  Top-Over  is  prone 
to  have  grains  grow  at  the  extreme  tip  of  cob  and  close 
around  the  base,  but  has  no  advantage  to  the  grower.  These 
two  varieties  were  made  to  sell  and  probably  no  small 
amount  of  money  will  be  spent  by  those  in  search  of  some- 
thing new  in  getting  seed.  The  Angel  of  Midnight  variety 
was  forever  condemned  when  that  name  was  given  to  it  by 
some  witless  party. 

Of  the  flint  varieties,  the  Waushakum  and  King  Phillip 
are  standard.  In  the  northern  part  of  the  state  the  Win- 
nebago White  should  be  grown. 

A*  study  of  our  various  varities  of  corn  will  be  taken  up 
the  coming  season  with  increased  care,  as  it  is  a subject  of 
great  importance. 

Wisconsin  farmers  are  often  tempted  to  purchase  seed 
corn  from  parties  in  Illinois,  Ohio,  or  other  states  south  of  us 
with  the  belief  that  it  will  do  well  here,  because  the  adver- 
tisements say  it  will  ripen  in  ninety  or  one  hundred  days. 
We  have  never  yet  had  very  good  success  with  corn  brought 
from  the  eastern  states  or  those  south  of  us.  Many  will  re- 
call the  costly  experience  of  a few  years  ago  when  thous- 
ands of  our  farmers  bought  their  seed  from  Nebraska,  and 
grew  corn  that  failed  to  ripen.  No  one  should  risk  his  gen- 
eral crop  to  seed  from  a distant  section  no  matter  what 
claims  of  excellence  are  made  for  it. 


16 


POTATOES. 


The  fact  that  any  variety  of  the  potato,  no  matter  how 
satisfactory,  cannot  be  grown  in  any  given  section  but  a few 
years  before  it  shows  signs  of  deterioration,  gives  the  Station 
an  excellent  opportunity  to  aid  our  farmers  by  making  care- 
ful tests  of  all  the  new  applicants  for  public  favor,  and  in 
these  days  they  are  not  a few. 

The  Station  attempted  some  very  careful  trials  in  1886,  in 
the  endeavor  to  select  those  varieties  which  seemed  really 
valuable  from  among  the  many  offered  by  the  seedsmen, 
each  with  its  claims  for  superiority.  The  drought  wrought 
havoc  with  the  crop  and  rendered  all  careful  work  and  ob- 
servation almost  worthless.  The  table  herewith  gives  the 
rate  per  acre  of  about  forty  kinds  grown  in  1886.  The 
reader  can  use  the  figures  as  he  likes  but  should  bear  in 
mind  the  conditions  under  which  the  crop  was  grown. 


17 


Yield  of  Potatoes  for  1886. 


Name  of  Variety. 

Bushels  of 
large  pota- 
toes per 
acre. 

Bushels  of 
small  pota- 
toes per 
acre. 

Name  of  seedsmen 
from  whom  pro- 
cured . 

Irish  Regent 

82 

156 

From  England. 

Magnum  Bonum 

106 

98 

From  England. 

General  McClellan 

287 

57 

Wilson. 

Rose  Seedling • 

213 

57 

W llson. 

Stray  Beauty • 

49 

49 

Wilson. 

Watson  Seedling • 

65 

57 

Wilson. 

Red  Star 

156 

57 

Everett. 

Jumbo • 

172 

65 

Henderson . 

Thunderbolt • 

90 

131 

Lang. 

Early  Pearl • 

213 

32 

Angell . 

Rochester  Favorite • 

197 

86 

Green  Mountain • 

82 

41 

Everett. 

Baraboo  White • 

147 

49 

Lang. 

Alexander’s  Prolific • 

189 

32 

Vaughan. 

Mammoth  Prolific • 

172 

57 

Wilson. 

St.  Patrick 

156 

73 

Henderson. 

Salt  L ike  Queen • 

187 

41 

Huebner. 

E.  Sunrise • 

65 

73 

Vaughan. 

Charter  Oak ..... 

73 

57 

Henderson. 

Garfield  

139 

57 

Vaughan. 

White  Seedling 

180 

57 

Vaughan. 

Pei  feet  Peachblow 

106 

73 

Vaughan. 

Vick’s  Extra  Early 

115 

41 

Vaughan. 

Clark’s,  No.  1 

73 

32 

Vaughan. 

Empire  State 

156 

65 

Vaughan. 

White  Star 

230 

73 

Vaughan. 

White  Elephant 

180 

90 

Vaughan. 

Beauty  of  Hebron 

82 

41 

Vaughan. 

Lee’s  Favorite 

73 

49 

Vaughan. 

E.  Ohio 

90 

8 

Vaughan. 

Pearl  of  Savoy 

106 

57 

Vaughan. 

Badger  State 

197 

16 

Huebner. 

Vanguard 

205 

41 

Henderson 

Dak  ta  Red 

172 

65 

Vaughan. 

Early  Maine 

123 

57 

Vaughan. 

Hall’s  E.  Peachblow 

147 

41 

Vaughan. 

Chicago  Market 

147 

90 

Vaughan. 

Blue  Victor 

263 

57 

Vaughan. 

Potentate 

106 

49 

Vaughan. 

Mav  Flower 

98 

131 

Vaughan. 

E.  Telephoi  e 

123 

82 

Vaughan. 

Am.  Giant 

254 

82 

Vaughan, 

Mammoth  Pearl 

205 

65 

Vaughan. 

E.  Harvest 

106 

41 

Vaughan. 

Thorburo 

106 

24 

Vaughan. 

2-U.: 


18 


As  stated  in  the  beginning  of  this  bulletin,  the  drought 
affected  the  early  and  late  varieties  differently  and  it  is  im- 
possible to  institute  any  comparison  between  the  varieties 
that  would  be  just  to  all. 

For  desirability  in  shape,  size  and  flavor,  it  ‘would  seem 
that  the  Thorburn  leads  the  list  of  newer  varieties.  The 
Early  Ohio  has  already  established  a good  reputation. 

The  General  McClellan  gave  a good  yield  and  proved  ex- 
cellent on  cooking.  The  Early  Pearl  gave  excellent  satis- 
faction on  cooking,  as  did  the  Empire  State.  It  is  impossible 
to  state  the  date  of  maturity  of  the  several  varieties,  owing 
to  the  character  of  the  season. 

Names  and  postoffice  of  parties  from  whom  seed  of  vari- 
eties named  in  this  bulletin  was  received: 

J.  C.  Vaughan,  Chicago;  Peter  Henderson,  Hew  York;  F. 
Huebner,  Manitowoc;  C.  E.  Angell,  Oshkosh;  F.  H.  Lang, 
Baraboo;  Hiram  Sibley,  Chicago;  J.  M.  Thorburn,  Hew 
York;  J.  A.  Everett  & Co.,  Watsontown,  Pa.;  Samuel  Wil- 
son, Mechanicsville,  Pa.;  Geo.  Pelton,  Reedsburg,  Wis.;  B. 
L.  Bragg  & Co.,  Springfield,  Mass.;  W.  H.  Schwartz,  Byron, 
Minn.;  Agricultural  Department,  Washington,  D.  C. 


UNIVERSITY  OF  WISCONSIN- 


Agricultural  Experiment  Statiou. 


BULLETIN  NO.  12. 


THE  OIL  TEST  FORICREAM. 


MADISON.  WISCONSIN,  OCTOBER.  1887. 


DEMOCRAT  PRINTING  COMPANY,  STATE  PRINTERS. 


fdlP*  The  Bulletins  and  Annual  Reports  of  this  Station  are 
sent  free  to  all  residents  of  the  State  who  request  it. 


UNIVERSITY  OF  WISCONSIN 


Agricultural  Experiment  Station. 


COMMITTEE  OF  BOARD  OF  REGENTS  IN  CHARGE 
OF  THE  STATION. 


Hon.  HIRAM  SMITH.  Chairman,  - 
Hon.  H.  D.  HITT, 

Hon.  C.  H.  WILLIAMS,  - 


Sheboygan  Falls. 

Oakfield. 

Baraboo. 


OFFICERS  OF  THE  STATION. 


Prof.  W.  A.  HENRY,  Agr.  B., 
Prof.  H.  P.  ARMSBY,  Ph.  D.,  - 
F.  G.  SHORT,  ) 

F.  W.  A.  WOLL,  M.  S.t  > 
LESLIE  H.  ADAMS, 


Director. 

Associate  Director  . 
Chemists  . 

Foreman. 


Office,  - - - - - 16  Agricultural  Hall. 

Chemical  Laboratory,  18  Agricultural  Hall. 

Experimental  Fields  and  Barn  on  the  University  Farm . 


TELEPHONE  CONNECTIONS. 


THE  OIL-TEST  FOR  CREAM. 


With  the  progress  of  co-oporative  dairying,  the  need  for 
some  simple  and  quick  method  of  determining  the  actual 
value  for  butter  or  cheese  making  of  the  milk  or  cream 
delivered  to  the  factory  has  come  to  be  felt  more  and  more, 
and  the  recent  low  prices  of  dairy  products  have  emphasised 
the  demand  for  some  means  by  which  milk  and  cream  may 
be  paid  for  according  to  their  value. 

Among  the  methods  proposed  for  thus  determining  the 
value  of  milk,  the  so  called  oil- test  has  been  prominent,  and 
has  attracted  general  interest.  The  oil-test  proposes  to 
determine  only  the  churnable  fat  of  the  milk  or  cream,  or  its 
equivalent  in  butter,  and  not  the  total  fat.  The  principle  of 
the  test  is  very  simple.  A known  small  bulk  of  the  milk  or 
cream  to  be  tested,  so  taken  as  fairly  to  represent  the  whole 
amount,  is  placed  in  a glass  tube,  which  it  fills  about  half 
full.  This  tube  is  secured  in  some  sort  of  machine  by  which 
it  can  be  shaken  length-wise  at  a rapid  rate  until  the  butter 
comes.  The  tube  is  then  placed  in  hot  water  until  the  but- 
ter is  melted;  the  melted  fat  or  oil  collects  at  the  top  and  is 
there  measured,  and  from  its  bulk  compared  with  that  of  the 
cream  or  milk  taken,  the  yield  of  the  latter  in  butter  is 
deduced. 

Numerous  forms  of  “oil  test  churn”  have  been  devised, 
differing  only  in  the  manner  in  which  the  principle  above 
explained  is  carried  out.  The  particular  form  used  in  the 
following  experiments  was  that  manufactured  by  Cornish, 
Curtis  & Greene,  of  Fort  Atkinson,  Wis.  In  this  form  of 
churn  the  glass  tubes  are  about  nine  inches  long  and  five- 
eighths  inch  in  internal  diameter,  and  are  filled  to  a depth 
of  five  inches  with  the  cream  or  milk  to  be  tested,  the  proper 
depth  being  indicated  by  a mark  on  the  tube.  The  melted 
fat  or  oil  is  measured  by  the  Burchard  scale  which  accom- 
panies the  churn  and  which  gives  directly  the  number  of 


6 


pounds  of  butter  per  creamery  inch*  of  cream  or  milk  cor- 
responding to  the  observed  depth  of  oil  in  the  tube. 

We  are  indebted  to  Col.  Geo.  W.  Burchard,  of  Fort  Atkin- 
son, for  the  following  statement  of  the  basis  upon  which  the 
scale,  which  was  devised  by  him,  was  constructed: 

“ This  scale  is  constructed  on  the  theory  that  one  pound 
of  average  butter  contains  twenty -five  (25)  cubic  inches  of 
butter  oil,  which  is,  as  near  as  may  be,  22  per  cent,  of  113 
cubic  inches  or  one  creamery  inch.  Therefore,  any  material 
which  will  yield  22  per  cent,  of  its  bulk  of  butter  oil  in  the 
test  churn  will  yield  one  pound  of  butter  per  creamery  inch, 
and  more  or  less  in  strict  proportion  to  the  varying  per 
cent,  of  oil.” 

The  tubes  of  the  test  churn  are  filled  to  the  depth  of  5 
inches.  Assuming  them  to  be  perfectly  cylindrical,  that  is, 
to  have  the  same  internal  diameter  throughout,  22  per  cent, 
of  the  contents  of  the  tube  will  occupy  a space  1.1  inches 
deep.  A space  of  1.1  inches  is  accordingly  marked  upon  the 
scale  as  corresponding  to  1 pound  of  butter  (per  creamery 
inch)  and  this  constitutes  the  unit  of  the  scale.  One  cream- 
ery inch  equals  113.08  cubic  inches.  Twenty-two  per  cent, 
of  this  is  24.8776  cubic  inches,  which,  by  the  above  assump- 
tion is  the  exact  bulk  of  oil  or  fat  corresponding  to  one 
pound  of  butter.  Assuming  the  average  specific  gravity 
of  butter  fat  to  be  0.913.  then  248776  cubic  inches  of  fat  weigh 
0.81996  pounds,  or  in  other  words,  the  Burchard  scale  as- 
sumes average  butter  to  contain  in  round  numbers  82  per 
cent,  of  fat,  and  the  results  obtained  by  its  use  mean  so 
many  pounds  or  tenth  of  a pound  of  butter  with  82  per  cent . 
fat. 

If  we  assume  further  the  average  specific  gravity  of 
cream  raised  by  deep  setting  in  cold  water  (which  is  prac- 
tically the  kind  of  cream  used  at  all  creameries)  to  be  1.025, 
then  22  per  cent  by  bulk  of  fat  equals: 

22x0.913-^-1.025=19.60 

per  cent  by  weight,  and  the  factor  19.60  can  be  used  to 

*A  creamery  inch  equals  one  inch  in  depth  in  a cylindrical  can  twelve 
inches  in  diameter,  or  113.08  cubic  inches. 


7 


convert  the  reading  of  the  scale  into  per  cent.,  by  weight,  or 
vice  versa . 

In  view  of  the  extensive  use  of  the  oil-test  churn  in 
creameries,  and  of  the  importance  of  the  subject,  the  follow- 
ing tests  of  the  method  have  been  made,  with  a view  of  de- 
termining its  accuracy  when  used  for  testing  cream.  No 
trials  were  made  with  milk.  Two  questions  presented 
themselves  for  investigation:  1st,  does  the  oil- test  churn 
separate  the  same  proportion  of  fat  from  the  cream  as  is 
separated  in  churning  on  the  large  scale?  2d,  do  the 
measurements  of  melted  fat  correspond  with  the  amount  of 
fat  actually  separated  as  butter,  either  by  the  test  churn  or  on 
the  large  scale?  These  questions  we  will  take  up  in  their 
order. 

DOES  THE  TEST  CHURN  SEPARATE  THE  SAME  PROPORTION  OF 
FAT  AS  THE  LARGE  CHURN? 

In  order  to  determine  this  question,  the  amount  of  cream 
taken  and  of  fat  separated  was  determined  by  weight  in 
every  case.  The  cream  used  both  in  these  tests  and  those 
described  later  was  that  used  in  the  Station  dairy  for  the 
manufacture  of  butter.  The  samples  for  the  oil  test  were 
taken  immediately  before  churning  and  tested  within  two 
or  three  hours  of  the  time  of  sampling.  The  remainder  of 
the  cream  was  churned  in  a Cornish,  Curtis  & Greene  rec- 
tangular churn  and  the  butter  treated  in  the  usual  manner . 
The  cream  was  slightly  sour  in  every  case.  A sample  of 
the  butter  produced  was  subjected  to  chemical  analy- 
sis, and  the  subsequent  calculations  are  founded  on  the 
amount  of  pure  butter  fat  separated  by  the  churn  and 
not  on  the  gross  weight  of  the  butter.  The  total  per- 
centage of  fat  in  the  cream  was  also  determined  by  an- 
alysis as  a check  upon  the  other  results.  From  four  to  eight 
samples  of  each  lot  of  cream  were  churned  at  the  same 
time.  In  the  earlier  trials  the  churning  was  stopped  when 
the  butter  was  in  the  granular  state;  later  it  was  continued 
until  the  butter  was  “ gathered  ” into  three  or  four  pellets. 
The  whole  contents  of  the  tube  were  then  poured  into  a 


8 


funnel  filled  with  cold  water  and  closed  by  a pinch-cock. 
There  the  butter  was  washed  until  the  butter-milk  was  as 
thoroughly  removed  as  possible  and  then  transferred  to  a 
porcelain  dish  containing  asbestos,  where  it  was  dried. 
The  dried  material  was  then  transferred  to  a fat  extractor, 
extracted  with  dry  ether,  and  the  extracted  fat  weighed 
after  drying  off  the  ether.  In  the  last  four  trials  this  pro- 
cess was  varied  by  first  melting  the  butter  in  the  tube  and 
obtaining  a reading  by  the  scale  and  then  determining  the 
weight  of  the  fat  substantially  as  above,  except  that  the 
weight  of  the  fat  was  obtained  by  difference,  that  is  by  de- 
termining the  loss  of  weight  suffered  during  extraction 
with  dry  ether,  instead  of  weighing  the  fat  itself. 

The  following  table  shows  the  number  of  samples  churned 
in  each  trial,  and  the  percentage  of  churnable  fat  found  by 
the  oil-test  compared  with  that  found  by  the  churn.  The 
total  percentage  of  fat  contained  in  the  cream  is  also  given 
for  comparison  and  likewise  what  is  known  as  the  " percen- 
tage churning,”  obtained  by  the  large  churn.  By  this  is 
meant  that  in  the  first  trial,  for  example,  out  of  every  100 
parts  of  fat  in  the  cream  66  parts  were  recovered  in  the 
butter.  The  percentage  churning  is  thus  a measure  of  the 
completeness  with  which  the  butter  is  separated,  just  as  the 
percentage  creaming  (compare  3d  Ann.  Report,  p.  119)  is  a 
measure  of  the  efficiency  of  a process  of  creaming  milk. 

In  a few  cases  more  fat  was  found  in  the  butter  than  ap- 
peared to  be  present  in  the  cream.  These  trials  were  re- 
jected as  obviously  worthless.  The  first  trial  with  the  churn 
is  also  rejected,  as  being  liable  to  error,  owing  to  unfamil- 
iarity with  the  method.  The  table  includes  all  the  other 
trials  that  have  been  made. 


Results  by  Weight 


9 


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A study  of  these  figures  shows  that  the  percentage  of 
churnable  fat,  as  determined  by  the  test  churn,  varies  consid- 
erably in  duplicate  samples,  and  does  not,  as  a rule,  agree 
closely  with  the  percentage  obtained  by  the  large  churn. 
The  greatest  variation  observed  in  any  one  series  of  dupli- 
cates was  2.29  per  cent.,  and  the  least,  0.08  per  cent.  The  great- 
est difference  between  the  average  of  the  oil  test  and  the 
large  churn  was  3.39  per  cent.;  while  the  greatest  difference 
between  a single  result  with  the  oil  test  and  the  large  churn 
was  4.12  per  cent. 

That  is  to  say,  if  the  results  of  the  tests  are  to  be  taken  as 
a guide,  the  patron  of  a factory  using  this  system  of  testing 
might  be  credited  with  as  much  as  four  pounds  of  butter  too 
much  or  too  little  per  100  pounds  of  cream  if  only  a single 
test  of  his  cream  was  made,  and  with  as  much  as  3£  pounds 
per  100  of  cream  if  the  average  of  several  tests  was  taken. 
One  hundred  pounds  of  cream  equals  about  23.9  guages  or 
creamery  inches;  consequently  these  errors,  expressed  ac- 
cording to  the  scale  of  the  oil  test  churn,  are  equivalent  res- 
pectively to  0.17  lb.  and  0.21  lb.  of  butter  per  inch  of  cream, 
while  the  greatest  and  least  variations  in  any  one  series  of 
duplicate  churnings  (2.29  per  cent,  and  0.08  per  cent.)  are 
equivalent  to  0.12  lb.  and  0.004  lb.  of  butter  per  inch  of 
cream. 

It  would  seem  that  part  of  this  irregularity  in  the  results 
may  be  attributed  to  the  large  churn,  since,  as  the  percent- 
age churnings  show,  the  churning  was  not  always  very  com- 
plete. At  the  same  time,  the  churnings  were  made  by  a 
competent  dairyman,  and  can  hardly  have  varied  more  than 
they  would  be  likely  to  in  creamery  practice,  so  that  while 
some  of  the  variations  in  the  results  may  be  thus  explained, 
the  explanation  only  adds  another  difficulty  to  be  overcome 
in  testing?cream.  Moreover  the  discrepancies  between  dupli- 
cate churnings  show  that  much  of  the  variation  was  due  to 
the  oil  test  itself. 

A further  conclusion  which  may  be  drawn  from  these  re- 
sults is  that  the  results  by  the  oil  test  tend  to  come  too  low. 
Out  of  sixteen  trials,  nine  show  lower  results  by  the  test 
churn  than  by  the  large  churn,  five  show  lower  results  by  the 
test  churn,  and  two  show  an  almost  exact  agreement. 


11 


DO  THE  MEASUREMENTS  OF  MELTED  FAT  CORRESPOND  WITH 
THE  AMOUNT  OF  FAT  ACTUALLY  SEPARATED? 

As  noted  above,  the  method  employed  to  measure  the  fat 
assumes  that  the  tubes  of  the  test  churn  are  perfectly  cyl- 
indrical. It  being  practically  impossible,  however,  to  make 
glass  tubes  exactly  cylindrical,  the  first  step  taken  to  test 
the  accuracy  of  the  method  of  measuring  was  to  examine 
the  tubes  of  the  churn  in  this  respect.  As  will  be  seen  from 
the  description  of  the  scale  given  above,  a column  of  liquid 
1.1  inches  long,  corresponding  to  one  pound  of  butter,  should 
occupy  twenty-two  per  cent,  of  the  space  between  the  mark 
and  the  bottom  of  the  tube.  The  sixty  tubes  of  the  churn 
tested  gave  the  following  results: 

In  no  case  is  the  relation  exactly  22  per  cent.,  although  in 
many  cases  not  far  from  it.  The  extreme  limits  of  varia- 
tion are  20.08  per  cent,  and  23.15  per  cent.  The  difference, 
3.07  per  cent.,  corresponds  to  a difference  of  0.14  pound  of 
butter,  the  highest  being  0.05  pound  too  high,  and  the  lowest 
0.09  pound  too  low.  The  difference  is  in  most  cases  consid- 
erably smaller,  and  probably  too  small  to  be  of  any  practical 
significance.  It  would  be  a comparatively  simple  matter, 
however,  to  graduate  the  tubes  so  that  they  would  be  prac- 
tically exact.  Consequently,  in  what  follows,  the  readings 
of  the  oil  have  been  corrected  for  the  variation  of  the  tubes, 
so  that  they  show  what  the  reading  would  have  been  had 
the  tubes  been  perfectly  correct. 

Agreement  of  Duplicates. — At  the  same  time  that  samples 
were  taken  for  churning  and  weighing  as  described  above, 
other  tubes  were  filled  with  the  same  cream  and  churned  at 
the  same  time,  and  then  melted  and  measured  in  the  usual 
way.  We  thus  have  comparisons  of  the  results  of  the  meas- 
uring on  different  samples  of  the  same  cream,  and  of  these 
results  with  those  obtained  above  by  weighing  the  fat,  and 
by  churning  on  the  large  scale.  From  four  to  ten  or  more 
samples  were  thus  churned  and  measured  at  once.  The  re- 
sults sometimes  varied  considerably  from  one  tube  to  another, 
but  for  the  most  part  they  agreed  fairly  well.  The  following 
tablegives  the  results  in  detail;  it  includes  all  the  samples  re- 
ported upon  in  the  previous  table  and  a few  additional  ones 
upon  which  no  weighings  were  taken: 


Butter  with  82  per  cent,  of  Fat  per  inch  of  Cream.  Lbs. 


12 


Large 

churn. 

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Churned  at  71 .5  °F. 
Churned  at  68.0  °F. 
Churned  at  74.0  °F. 
Churned  at  67.0  °F. 
Churned  at  70.0  °F. 


13 


The  greatest  variation  in  any  one  series  of  duplicates 
was  0.29  lb.,  and  the  least  0.06  lb.  Out  of  the  twenty  trials, 
ten  show  an  extreme  range  of  less  than  0.10  lb.,  and  seven- 
teen, one  of  less  than  0.15  lb. 

A comparison  with  the  figures  given  on  page  9 for  the 
variations  in  the  results  obtained  by  weighing  the  fat  shows 
that  on  the  whole  the  weighing  gave  somewhat  more  ac- 
cordant results  than  the  measuring.  That  the  results  of  the 
latter  process  appear  to  agree  more  closely  when  tabulated 
is  due  simply  to  the  fact  that  the  scale  employed  does  not 
show  as  small  differences,  0.01  lb.  of  butter  per  inch  of 
cream  corresponding  to  a trifle  less  than  0.20  per  cent,  by 
weight  of  the  cream. 

Comparison  with  large  churn. — The  last  table  given 
shows  also  a comparison  of  the  results  of  the  measuring 
with  the  amount  of  butter  obtained  by  the  large  churn,  re- 
duced to  pounds  per  inch  of  cream.  In  making  this  re- 
duction account  has  been  taken  of  the  percentage  of  fat 
found  in  the  butter  by  analysis,  except  Dec.  23,  and  Jan.  6, 
when  no  analyses  were  made.  The  figures  given  in  the 
table  express  the  amount  of  butter  with  82  per  cent,  of  fat 
obtained  in  each  case.  The  actual  proportion  of  fat  was  in 
every  case  but  one  somewhat  above  82  per  cent,  and  the 
yield  of  butter  correspondingly  smaller  than  that  noted  in 
the  table.  The  percentages  of  fat  found  in  the  butter  (well 
worked  and  salted),  were: 


Highest 85.87  percent. 

Lowest 81.41  per  cent. 

Average 83.80  per  cent. 


The  greatest  difference  between  a single  measurement  by 
the  test  churn  and  the  results  by  the  large  churn  is  0.30 
pound,  and  the  second  largest  0.19  pound,  corresponding  re- 
spectively to  5.88  per  cent.,  and  3.72  per  cent  by  weight  of 
the  cream.  The  greatest  difference  between  the  average  of 
a series  of  measurements  on  the  same  cream  and  the  re- 
sults by  the  large  churn  is  0.22  pound,  and  the  second 
largest  0.14  pound,  corresponding  respectively  to  4.31  per 
cent,  and  2.74  per  cent,  by  weight  of  the  cream.  The  great- 
est difference  between  two  duplicates  is  0.29  pound,  equiva- 


14 


lent  to  5.68  per  cent,  by  weight.  A comparison  of  these  re- 
sults with  those  on  page  12  shows  that  the  range  of 
possible  error  is  somewhat  greater  with  the  measuring  tiian 
with  the  weighing.  Of  the  19  averages  given  in  the  table, 
9 are  higher  than  the  figures  given  by  the  large  churn,  9 
are  lower,  and  1 is  exactly  the  same,  so  that,  while  the  range 
of  error  is  greater  in  the  measuring,  the  average  comes 
nearer  the  amount  of  butter  actually  obtained  than  does  the 
average  of  the  weighing. 


COMPARISON  OF  RESULTS  BY  WEIGHT  AND  BY  VOLUME. 

As  already  noted,  the  results  obtained  by  weighing  the 
fat  showed  a tendency  to  fall  too  low.  Since  the  volumetric 
results,  as  just  indicated,  show  no  such  tendency,  it  follows 
that  the  latter  must  usually  be  higher  than  the  results  by 
weight.  The  truth  of  this  is  shown  by  the  following  table, 
where  the  gravimetric  results,  expressed  as  pounds  of  but- 
ter per  inch  of  cream,  are  compared  with  the  volumetric 
results: 


Pounds  of  Butter  per  Inch  of  Cream. 


By  Weight. 

By  Measure. 

1886. 

November  11 

0.72 

0.78 

November  13 

0.49 

0.52 

November  16  

0.77 

0.81 

November  18 

0.75 

0.81 

November  20 

0.59 

0.59 

December  4 

0.44 

0.46 

December  11 

0.77 

0.84 

December  18 

0.65 

, 0.67 

December  21 

0.73 

0.79 

December  30 

0.77 

0.77 

1887. 

January  4 

0.76 

0.80 

January  4 

0.81 

0.85 

January  4 

0.58 

0.63 

May  5 

0.87 

0.81 

May  14 

0.77 

0.86 

May  27  

0.71 

0.83 

In  thirteen  cases  out  of  sixteen  the  results  by  measure  are 
higher  than  those  by  weight.  In  the  two  churnings  of  May 


15 


14  and  27 , the  same  fat  was  first  melted  and  measured  and 
then  separated  and  weighed.  Five  tubes  were  churned  and 
weighed  in  the  first  case  and  eight  in  the  second,  and  in 
every  individual  case  the  measuring  gave  higher  results 
than  the  weighing.  The  churning  of  May  5 forms  the  only 
exception  to  this  rule.  In  this  case  also  the  same  fat  was 
both  measured  and  weighed,  and  three  cases  the  results  by 
weight  were  the  higher,  while  in  the  fourth  case  the  two 
were  identical. 

The  fact  that  the  measuring  gives  higher  results  than 
weighing,  even,  when  all  errors  of  calibration  of  tubes,  etc., 
are  eliminated  is  probably  to  be  explained  by  the  fact  discov- 
ered by  Mr.  J.  A.  Smith,  in  experiments  carried  on  at  this 
Station  and  reported  in  Hoard's  Dairyman  of  September  2 , 
1887,  that  the  fat  separated  by  the  oil  test  may  contain  a 
considerable  amount  of  water,  even  after  long  standing. 

If  this  is  true,  the  fact  that,  as  previously  stated,  the  results 
by  measure  on  the  average  come  nearer  the  truth  than  those 
by  weight,  while  still  showing  greater  variability  in  individ- 
ual cases,  is  susceptible  of  a very  plausible  explanation,  as 
follows: 

The  churning,  as  a rule,  is  not  as  complete  in  the  oil-test 
churn  as  in  the  large  churn.  The  deficiency  in  fat  thus  aris- 
ing is,  however,  made  up  for,  to  a certain  extent,  by  the  pres- 
ence of  water  in  the  melted  oil,  which  increases  its  bulk. 
That  is,  there  is  a balancing  of  errors. 

The  above  results  are  not  sufficient  to  prove  this,  and  it  is 
presented  only  as  a probable  result.  Further  experiments 
are  in  progress  designed  to  test  the  truth  of  this  hypothesis, 
and  also,  if  possible,  to  eliminate  these  sources  of  error  if 
found  to  be  real  ones.  At  present,  however,  it  would  ap- 
pear that,  while  the  oil  test  churn  is  capable  of  showing  the 
difference  between  good  and  poor  cream,  it  is  questionable 
whether  it  can  make  strictly  accurate  distinctions  between 
different  grades  of  good  or  of  poor  cream. 

H.  P.  ARMSBY, 

Associate  Director . 

F.  G.  SHORT, 

Chemist . 


OF  ILL I 


UNIVERSITY  OF  WISCONSIN- 


Agricultural  Experiment  Station. 


BULLETIN  NO.  13. 


REPORT  ON  WHEAT,  OATS,  BARLEY,  CORN,  AND 
POTATOES  FOR  1887:  THE  STATION  VINEYARD. 


MADISON,  WISCONSIN,  FEBRUARY,  1 888. 


Bulletins  and  Annual  Beports  of  this  Station  are  sent  free  to  all 
residents  of  the  State  who  request  it. 


DEMOCRAT  PRINTING  COMPANY.  STATE  PRINTERS. 


UNIVERSITY  OF  WISCONSIN. 


Agricultural  Experiment  Station. 


BOARD  OF  REGENTS. 


THE  STATE  SUPERINTENDENT,  ex  officio. 


State  at  Large, 
State  at  Large, 
1st  District,  - 
2d  District, 

3d  District, 

4th  District, 

5th  District, 

6th  District, 

7th  District, 

8th  District, 

9th  District, 


Hon  GEO.  H.  PAUL,  President. 
Hon.  E.W.  KEYES,  Ch’n  Ex.  Com. 

Hon.  J.  G.  McMYNN. 
Hon.  HENRY  D.  HITT. 
Hon.  GEO.  RAYMER. 
- Hon.  GEO.  KCEPPEN. 
Hon.  HIRAM  SMITH. 
Hon.  FRANK  CHALLONER. 

- Hon.  C.  H.  WILLIAMS. 
Hon.  WM.  P.  BARTLETT. 

- Hon.  R.  D.  MARSHALL. 


Experiment  Station  Committee , 

Regents,  SMITH,  HITT,  and  WILLIAMS. 


OFFICERS  OF  THE  STATION. 


T.  0.  CHAMBERLIN,  LL.  D., 
Prof.  W.  A.  HENRY,  Agr.  B„ 
Prof.  S.  M.  BABCOCK.  Ph.  D.  - 
F.  G.  SHORT, 

F.  W.  A.  WOLL,  M.  S.f 
LESLIE  H.  ADAMS, 

Miss  NELLIE  NOTT,  - 


President. 
Director. 
Chief  Chemist. 
Assistant  Chemist. 
Second  Assistant  Chemist. 

Farm  Superintendent. 
Clerk  and  Stenographer. 


Office,  - - - - - 16  Agricultural  Hall. 

Chemical  Laboratory,  - - - 18  Agricultural  Hall. 

Experimental  Fields  and  Barn  on  the  University  Farm,  Adjoininq 

College  Campus. 

TELEPHONE  CONNECTIONS. 


REPORT  OR  CROPS  FOR  1887. 

« 


By  L.  H.  Adams. 

WINTER  WHEAT.* 

The  varieties  reported  below  are  all  winter  varieties. 
Those  for  1887  were  sown  September  21,  1886,  on  plats  con- 
taining one -fortieth  acre  each,  with  seed  at  the  rate  of  two 
bushels  per  acre. 

In  the  same  table  will  be  found  the  yield  of  all  the  vari- 
ties  grown  by  the  Station  since  1883. 


Yield  of  Winter  Wheat  for  Five  Years. 


Name  of  Vaeiety. 

Yield  for 
1887. 

Yield  for 
1886. 

Yield  for 
1885. 

Yield  for 
1884. 

Yield  for 
1883. 

bu. 

bu. 

bu. 

bu. 

bu. 

Sandomirka 

41 

34 

28 

40 

28 

Hungarian  W.  Chaff 

43 

42 

33 

40 

28 

Velvet  Chaff 

36 

36 

32 

38 

32 

Russian  No.  2 

39 

35 

27 

48 

30 

Theiss 

44 

44 

39 

43 

32 

Heige’s  Prolific 

44 

38 

28 

43 

28 

Arnold’s  Gnld  Medal  

45 

40 

20 

42 

Champion  Amhor  

51 

49 

27 

55 

Wysnr  . 

36 

35 

21 

43 

Ren  nett  

35 

40 

38 

38 

Finley 

47 

33 

26 

52 

Egyptian 

39 

38 

29 

48 

Ostrey 

36 

31 

21 

49 

Spark’s  Swamp 

32 

37 

24 

40 

White  Rogers 

37 

29 

19 

50 



Washington  Glass 

38 

37 

17 

41 

Martin’s  Amber 

43 

38 

32 

41 

Sibley’s  Hybrid  Mediterranean 

44 

31 

26 

42 

Valley 

47 

36 

28 

Zimmerman 

46 

41 

24 

Rocky  Mountain 

38 

38 

40 

Niffe-er 

31 

35 

30 

Tasmanian  Red 

34 

36 

31 

York  W.  Chaff 

38 

44 

29 

Landreth 

37 

38 

30 

Bearded  Treadwell 

46 

39 

32 

Michigan  Bronze 

42 

36 

30 

Extra  Early  Oakley 

41 

31 

Diehl  Mediterranean 

39 

37 

McGehee  White 

32 

32 

Raub’s  Black  Prolific 

40 

Fulcaster 

37 

German  Emperor 

45 

Genoese 

29 

Four  Rowed  Sheriff 

37 

*The  land  upon  which  test  plats  of  wheat,  oats  and  barley  were  grown, 


4 


As  intimated  in  last  year’s  report,  further  work  in  the 
line  of  wheat  growing  has  been  abandoned,  in  order  to  de- 
vote more  time  to  the  crops  toward  which  the  progressive 
agriculture  of  our  state  is  tending. 

OATS. 

Thirty  varieties  of  oats  were  sown  April  12th  on  plats  of 
one  thirtieth  acre  each,  with  seed  at  the  rate  of  2|  bushels 


per  acre. 

Yield  of  Oat  Plats  for  the  Year  1887. 


Yie’d  of 
1-30  acre. 

Rate  per 
acre. 

Length  of 
straw. 

* a . 

<v 

k 

•e  seed 
ls  ob- 
ned. 

Name  op  Variety. 

d 

0 

£ 

c8 

m 

a 

3 

0 

c3 

u 

_W 

•2f s 

© W-fi 
£ 

Is 

Q 

S S 
£ 

lbs. 

lbs. 

bu. 

lbs. 

ft. 

lbs 

Kansas  Hybrid 

3534 

90 

33 

2, 700 

2 3 

30*4 

July  23. 

Farm. 

Kui  al  Hybrid 

m/o 

110 

46 

3,  300 

2 9 

32 

July  19. 

Farm. 

Egyptian 

50  y> 

140 

47 

4.200 

3 

37 

July  19. 

Farm. 

Race  Ho:  se  

48J4 

124 

45 

3,720 

2.8 

35*4 

July  19 

Farm. 

VYhite  Swede 

59 

136 

55 

4,080 

3. 

35 

July  19. 

Farm. 

Lost  Nation 

5134 

116 

48 

3, 4'0 

2.8 

38 

July  11 

Farm. 

Hop?  down 

110 

42 

3, 300 

2.9 

36 14 

July  18 

Farm. 

Radnor  Queen 

5134 

114 

48 

3,420 
3, 720 

3. 

3 14 
33 

Juy  11. 
July  22. 

Farm. 

Farm. 

Yankee 

s:H 

124 

51 

3 2 

Black  Tartarian 

56 

118 

52 

3,540 

3.1 

29 

July  22. 

Farm. 

White  Poland 

52 

148 

48 

4,440 

3 1 

36 

Aug.  2 

Fatm. 

Black  Champion 

6134 

146 

57 

4,380 

2.8 

32 

Aug.  2 

Firm. 

White  Seizure  

59 

128 

55 

3,810 

3 5 

37 

July  15. 

Washington 

Harris 

31U 

68 

29 

2, 040 

2 5 

28 

June  29 

Farm. 

Swedish 

59J4 

112 

55 

3, 360 

2. 

35 

July  22. 

Farm. 

Waterloo 

1034 

146 

56 

4,380 

2.9 

33 

July  22 

Farm. 

White  Belghn 

6634 

15C 

62 

4,500 

3 1 

36 

Julv  23. 

Farm. 

Improved  W.  Russian 

6834 

160 

64 

4,800 

3.3 

31  *4 

Jul  r 23. 

Farm. 

State  of  N.  Dakota 

7»H 

162 

68 

4, 860 

3 2 

3**6 

July  12. 

Farm. 

Welcome 

57 

146 

53 

4, 380 

3 1 

35*k 

July  11. 

Fa' m. 

Huebner’s  Holland 

5934 

140 

55 

4,200 

3. 

31 

.July  23. 

Farm. 

Bonanza 

53 

124 

4ii 

3,7.0 

3 2 

33 

July  11. 

farm. 

Black  Russian 

5534 

176 

51 

5,280 

8 2 

30 

Au  er.  2 . 

Farm. 

Bohemian 

4 6 

128 

43 

3,840 

2.3 

31 

July  11. 

Farm. 

White  Victoria 

61 

138 

57 

4,140 

3.2 

35 

July  12 

Farm. 

White  Schonen ... 

60 

124 

56 

3,720 
3, 420 

3. 

34 

July  23. 

Farm. 

Welcome 

8C% 

3234 

114 

21 

3. 

33*6 

July  23. 

S bley. 

White  Novelty 

116 

30 

3.480 

3. 

37 

July  23. 

Sibley. 

White  Japan 

i'  34 

124 

15 

2, 720 

3.1 

32 

Aug.  2 

Sibley. 

Wide  Awake 

4634 

140 

43 

4, 5.00 

3.2 

34 

July  23. 

Sibley. 

Since  a single  year  does  not  afford  sufficient  opportunity 
to  test  a variety  thoroughly,  there  is  here  presented  the 
yield  of  all  varieties  grown  since  1884.  That  several  of  these 
varieties  are  identical  is  most  probable  but  the  Station  gives 


was  thoroughly  underdrained,  and  consisted  of  a clay  loam  of  uniform 
fertility.  The  value  of  the  drains  was  very  apparent  from  the  mellow 
condition  of  the  surface  soil  which  held  the  moisture  from  the  subsoil;  as 
a result  the  yields  reported  are  much  above  those  throughout  the  state. 


5 


names  just  as  they  came  from  the  seedsmen.  It  is  hoped 
that  in  future  we  can  reduce  the  varieties  and  avoid  part  of 
the  confusion  wrought  by  the  seedsmen. 


Yield  of  Varieties  of  Oats  at  the  Station  Since  1884. 


Name  of  Variety. 

Yield 

1887. 

Yield 

1886. 

Yield 

1885. 

Yield 

1884. 

Aver- 

age 

Yield, 

bu. 

bu. 

bu. 

bu. 

bu. 

Welcome 

53 

43 

45 

61 

50* 

Black  Tartarian 

52 

56 

45 

64 

54* 

26 

48 

37 

43 

21 

35 

33 

White  Schonen 

56 

58 

60 

65 

59* 

White  Australian 

53 

68 

60* 

White  Belgian 

62 

59 

41 

63 

56* 

Lost  Nation  

48 

59 

40 

49 

Badger  Queen 

48 

53 

47 

49* 

Hoped  own  

42 

50 

26 

39* 

Kansas  Hybrid 

33 

50 

56 

46* 

Black  Russian 

51 

41 

43 

45 

State  of  N.  Dakota 

68 

50 

59 

Waterloo 

56 

45 

50* 

Imp.  W.  Russian 

64 

40 

52 

Holla, rid  

55 

56 

55* 

Bonanza 

49 

60 

54* 

White  Swede 

55 

60 

57* 

Rural  Hvhrid 

46 

57 

51* 

Yankee 

54 

44 

49 

Swedish 

55 

61 

58 

Black  Champion 

57 

35 

46 

Bace  Horse 

45 

62 

53* 

White  Poland 

48 

47 

47* 

Egyptian 

47 

61 

54 

White  Victoria 

57 

37 

47 

Harris 

29 

31 

30 

Ho  variety  has  yet  been  found  superior  to  the  White 
Schonen,  in  productiveness,,  strength  of  straw  and  thinness 
of  hull.  Seed  of  this  variety  is  well  scattered  throughout 
the  state  by  the  Station,  and  can  be  obtained  without  diffi- 
culty of  the  growers  themselves. 


BARLEY. 

Seven  varieties  of  barley  were  grown  on  plats  containing 
one-thirtieth  acre.  Seed  was  sown  April  12th  at  the  rate  of 
two  and  one-half  bushels  per  acre. 


5 


Yield  of  Barley  Plats  for  the  Year  1887. 


Name  op  Variety. 

Yield  of 
1-30  acre. 

Rate 
per  acre. 

CM 

o . 

o cl  • 

cb 

^a 

whom 
tvas  ob- 
i. 

in 

* . 

O 

PS  g 

Grain. 

Straw. 

Grain. 

Straw. 

■d  £ 

fg 

S3  m 

.spf  a 

0>  4-3  S 

Date  c 
turitj 

From 
geed  1 
tainet 

d"" 

55 

Vermont  Champion 

lbs. 

55 

lbs. 

118 

bu. 

34 

lbs. 

3,540 

ft. 

2.2 

lbs. 

42 

July  5 

Farm. 

4 rowed. 

Melon 

40% 

112 

25 

3,360 

2 

43 

July  11. 

Farm. 

2 rowed. 

Sibley's  Imperial 

42% 

112 

26 

3,360 

2.6 

38 

July  11. 

Farm. 

4 rowed. 

Chevalier 

3 ?% 

114 

23 

3, 420 

2 2 

42% 

July  11. 

Farm. 

2 rowed. 

Nepaul 

59% 

134 

37 

4,020 

2.6 

52 

July  5. 

Farm . 

4 rowed. 

Manshury 

69% 

62% 

148 

43 

4,440 

2.9 

39 

July  5. 

Farm. 

4 rowed. 

Imperial 

150 

39 

4,500 

3 

39% 

July  11. 

Farm. 

4 rowed. 

The  Manshury  still  heads  the  list  in  productiveness.  The 
heavy  yield  of  the  Melon  variety  last  season  was  not  re- 
peated this  year,  consequently  the  former  yield  may  be 
looked  upon  as  phenomenal. 


INDIAN  CORN. 

Fifteen  kinds  of  corn  were  grown  on  trial  plats  in  1887, 
so  little  difference  was  observed  between  some  of  them  that 
they  could  hardly  be  called  distinct  varieties. 

The  soil  where  trial  plats  were  grown,  was  a clay  loam  of 
uniform  fertility.  Corn  was  planted  in  hills  3J  by  4 feet 
apart,  Character  of  the  season  rendered  notes  uu  reliable  as 
to  time  of  ripening. 

All  of  the  early  varieties  were  seriously  injured  by  the 
drouth. 

Another  year’s  experience  has  failed  to  develop  anything 
surer  or  better  for  the  southern  portion  of  Wisconsin,  than 
Pride  of  the  North  and  North  Star  Golden  Dent,  with  the  pos- 
sible exception  of  Dakota  G.  Dent  No.  1,  the  seed  of  which 
came  from  W.  H.  Swartz,  Byron,  Minn.,  in  1886,  and  was 
grown  at  the  Station  the  same  year  with  good  results.  The 
Clarage  is  closely  allied  to  the  Learning.  Though  by  being 
continuously  grown  in  one  locality  in  northern  Ohio,  where 
seed  was  obtained,  has  been  reduced  from  its  former  size  and 
hastened  in  maturity,  it  would  still  appear  to  be  too  uncer- 
tain in  early  ripening  for  the  Wisconsin  farmer. 


7 


• paura  jqo  sim  paas 
nioqM.  uiojj  saijjuj 

Vaughan. 
Vaughan. 
L.  D.  Blue. 
Sibley. 
Farm. 

Farm. 

Farm. 

Sibley. 

E.  A.  Smith 
E.  A.  Smith 

E.  A.  Smiih 

Vaughan. 

Vaughan. 

Sibley. 

*sqi  Oi.  J° 

*snq  ui  sqoo  jo  jqSia^ 

^ -rh  00  * GO  05  03  • *GOtH  00 

Q T- 1 • 1—1  T— 1 • 1 • 

JC  GO  O O CO  0^  tH  HCOCQO  o * 

O tH  tH  t*H  r— 1 tH  t-H  tH  tH  t-H  tH  • 

•aonno 

ano  ui  sj;aujaq  jo  #o^ 

i— i i— i C3  lO  C3  JO  lO  t-  03  03  CO  • 

O i— I O O i— 1 O O 05  05  O 05 

tH  1— It— It— It— It— 1 t-H 

• jua  no  SM.OJ  jo  • ojtf 
/ 

16 

16 

18-20 

16-18 

16-18 

18-20 

18-20 

16-18 

14-16 

12-18 

16-18 

•qoo  jo  jojoq 

% 

Dark  Red. 

Red 

Mixed 

Red 

Red  ...... 

Red 

Red 

Red 

White.... 
Mixed.  . . 

Mixed  . . . 

•qoo 

jo  jajaureip  aSajaAy 

05  H®  Hoood)dhH(  H-#  >4» 

<55  Hr It— IH  1— 1 i— 1 i— IHr 1 1— t 

CJ 

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jo  jajaraaip  eSmaxy 

«5  ceH  Hi#  H»*-|aO  0*#  • 

« rH  03  C3  03  03  03  03  C3  i-i  03  th 

J2 

h : 

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05  "-fM  HM  • 

<55  CO  t-  £-  00  CO  CO  t-00  00i>  l> 

AS 

o 

8 

h : 

•a job  jad 

jappoj  paqsnq  sq{  *o^[ 

0 00  05  00  03  GO  GO  ^ 03  O 03  tO  O ^ 

th  00  03  i-H  00  CO  03  CO  CO  03  t—  lO  CO  05 

03  r- os  th  i-i  o C5cooc^  ^ ooo^ 

to^ioobtr  t-  lOOO'&CO  JO~  VS  o' 

qaqsnq 
jad  *sqx  oi,  ‘ojob  jad 
suiqqnu  sjaqsnq  ’0^ 

Hs’oHHm  • Hoq  Cd|t-U5lt-  « 

05  • H 03  IOiHIOCO  1—1 

1— 1 i— 1 • 1— It— I-i— It- 1 i— 1 

•staqenq 
jad  *sq{  0£  ‘mob  Jad 
hjoo  poo&  sjaqsnq  *0£[ 

H^Hci  . H5'1  Hsccfi#  -H  • 

03  i—i  00  • O GO  CO  05  GO  CO  CO 

co  ^ -co  ^ co  co  tt1  *<ri  ^ 

i 

» 

> 

> 

-t 

3 

14 

5 

3 

3 

1 

Name  of  Variety. 

Pride  of  the  North. . . 

North  Star 

Clarage  

Learning* 

Pride  of  Dakota 

Dakota  Golden  Dent 

No.  1 

Dakota  Golden  Dent 

No.  2 

Smedley 

Smith’s  Striped 

Smith’s  White 

Smith’s  Yellow  Dent 

No.  2 

Chester  Co.  Mam- 
moth*   

* 

45> 

fl 

05 

^ * 
O'  p£ 
■4-1  -r 

A r 

.2  a 

H a 
$ s. 
Ph  a 

*Not  fully  ripe.  f Weight  of  entire  crop,  ears  and  stalk. 


8 


Though  the  Learning,  Chester  Co.  Mammoth,  Parish  W. 
Dent  and  Sheep’s  Tooth  are  totally  unfit  for  our  short  sea- 
sons the  yield  of  cured  fodder  per  acre  has  been  given  for 
the  benefit  of  those  who  are  inquiring  after  a mammoth 
fodder-corn  variety. 


POTATOES. 

The  soil  in  which  the  potatoes  were  grown,  was  a clay 
loam  of  moderate  fertility.  Seed  was  prepared  by  cutting 
large  potatoes  in  pieces  containing  from  two  to  three  eyes 
each,  which  were  planted  in  drills,  one  piece  in  a place 
twelve  inches  apart,  the  rows  being  three  feet  and  two 
inches  wide.  Level  cultivation  was  given.  , 


Yield  of  Potatoes  for  1887. 


Name  op  Variety. 

Bushels 
of  large 
potatoes 
per  acre. 

1887. 

Bushels 
of  small 
potatoes 
per  acre. 

1887. 

Bushels 
of  large 
potatoes 
per  acre. 

1886. 

Bushels 
of  small 
potatoes 
per  acre 
1886. 

Time  of 
ripen  i’g. 
1887. 

Seed 

received 

from. 

Rose  Seedling 

113 

36 

213 

57 

Aug.  21 

Farm. 

Stray  Beauty 

58 

79 

49 

49 

July  28 

Farm. 

Watson  Seedling; 

109 

65 

65 

57 

Aug.  4 

Farm. 

Early  Pearl  

68 

39 

213 

32 

Aug.J  8 

Farm. 

Early  Sunrise 

132 

67 

65 

73 

Aug.  8 

Farm. 

Garfield  

85 

97 

139 

57 

Aug.  4 

Farm. 

Vick's  E Early  . 

117 

76 

115  j 

41 

Aug.  11 

Farm. 

Clark’s  No.  1 

91 

64 

73 

32 

Aug.  4 

Farm. 

Beauty  of  Hebron 

142 

77 

82 

41 

AUg.  8 

Farm. 

Lee’s  Favorite 

134 

64 

73 

49 

Aug.  8 

Farm. 

E irly  Ohio 

149 

29 

90 

8 

July  30 

Farm. 

Pear  1 of  Savoy 

100 

21 

106 

57 

Aug.  8 

Farm. 

Earlv  Maine 

155 

66 

123 

57 

Aug.  . 8 

Farm. 

Early  Telephone 

71 

65 

123 

82 

Aug.  8 

Farm. 

Early  Harvest 

116 

39 

106 

41 

Aug.  2 

Farm. 

Thorburn  

134 

56 

106 

24 

Aug.  4 

Farm. 

Rochester  Favorite 

88 

39 

197 

86 

Aug  14 

Farm. 

Green  Mountain 

119 

71 

82 

41 

Aug.  22 

Farm. 

Baraooo  White 

36 

61 

147 

49 

Aug.  2 

Farm. 

Alexander’s  Prolific 

97 

25 

189 

32 

Aug.  28 

Farm. 

Mammoth  jProlific 

125 

70 

172 

57 

Aug.  14 

Farm. 

St.  Patrick 

116 

38 

156 

73 

AUg.  17 

Farm. 

Salt  Lake  Queen 

87 

50 

187 

41 

Aug.  29 

Farm. 

Charter  Oak  . 

65 

76 

73 

57 

Aug.  29 

Farm. 

White  Seedling 

64 

39 

180 

57 

Aug.  22 

Farm. 

Empire  State 

114 

88 

156 

65 

Aug.  31 

Farm. 

White  Star 

84 

93 

230 

73 

Aug.  31 

Farm. 

White  Elephant  

97 

51 

180 

90 

Aug.  4 

Farm. 

Badger  State  [Huebner’s] . . 

123 

27 

197 

16 

Aug.  21 

Farm. 

Vanguard  

145 

27 

205 

41 

Aug.  28 

Farm. 

Dakota  Red 

180 

55 

172 

65 

Sept.  7 

Farm. 

Hall’s  E.  Peach  Blow 

76 

16 

147 

41 

Aug.  17 

Farm. 

Chicago  Market 

147 

90 

Blue  V ictor 

122 

61 

■ 263 

57 

Aug.  17 

. Farm. 

9 


Name  op  Variety. 

Bushels 
of  large 
potatoes 
per  acre 
1887. 

Bushels 
of  small 
potatoes 
per  acre 
1887. 

Bushels 
of  large 
potatoes 
per  acre 
1886. 

Bushels 
of  small 
potatoes 
ptr  acre 
1886. 

Time  of 
ripeni’g. 
1887. 

Seed 
received 
fi  om. 

Potentate 

109 

88 

106 

49 

Sept.  7 

Farm 

May  Flower 

91 

79 

98 

131 

Aug.  12 

Farm. 

American  Giant 

62 

88 

254 

82 

Aug.  22 

Farm . 

Mammoth  Pearl 

29 

91 

205 

65 

Aug.  17 

Farm. 

81 

82 

156 

Sept.  3 

Farm. 

Magnumbonum 

79 

51 

106 

98 

Sept.  3 

Ftrm . . 

Gen.  McClellan 

138 

64 

287 

57 

Aug.  26 

Farm. 

Red  Star 

155 

18 

156 

57 

Aug.  29 

Farm. 

Jumbo 

187 

25 

172 

65 

Aug.  17 

Farm. 

Thunderbolt 

119 

39 

90 

131 

Aug.  31 

Firm. 

Perfect  Peach  Blow . . 

24 

51 

106 

73 

Aug.  22 

Farm. 

O K Mammoth 

91 

30 

Aug.  14 

Farm. 

Alma 

56 

25 

Aug.  4 

Farm. 

Brownell’s  Best 

22 

5 L 

Aug.  8 

Farm. 

English  Champion 

15 

41 

Aug.  8 

J's.  Wilson. 

Prairie  Russe 

38 

76 

Aug,  2 

J’s.  Wilson. 

Ice  Cream 

9 

32 

July  31 

J’s.  Wilson. 

White  Peach  Blow 

15 

30 

Aug.  29 

J’s.  "Wilson. 

Burbank’s  Seedling  . . 

45 

84 

Aug.  22 

J’s.  Wilson. 

Monroe  Doiinty  

77 

Aug.  21 

Sibley. 

Pride  of  America 

15 

60 

Aug.  4 

J’s.  Wilson. 

Bine  Victor  Cross 

56 

76 

Aug.  2 

J’s.  Wilson. 

Crane’s  .Tune  E iting 

126 

80 

July  31 

Crane. 

Cra.ne’s  F.irtra  Keeper 

85 

63 

Aug.  12 

Crane. 

Duchesse 

45 

22 

Aug.  31 

Wilson. 

Prohibitionist 

103 

55 

Aug.  31 

J.  W.  Wood. 

Everett, 

74 

63 

July  28 

Wilson. 

Ruby  . 

85 

63 

Aug.  4 

Wilson. 

Chas  Downing 

45 

51 

July  31 

Tillinghast. 

Montana 

22 

Aug.  1 1 

Lachmond. 

Polaris 

114 

80 

Aug.  17 

Washington 

Rl  iss  Triumph 

57 

40 

July  28 

West. 

Adirondack 

34 

45 

West. 

Western  Pride 

80 

80 

Aug.  4 

West. 

Vermont  Champion 

148 

45 

Aug.  17 

West. 

Cook’s  Superb 

183 

34 

Aug.  T? 

West. 

Early  Gem 

131 

57 

Aug.  17 

West. 

Vick’s  Prize 

85 

45 

Aug.  17 

West. 

In  order  to  throw  a little  light  on  the  question  of  the  com- 
parative earliness  of  the  so  called  early  varieties,  a portion 
of  them  was  dug  July  9th,  and  a table  of  yields  prepared, 
with  the  hope  that  it  will  lend  some  aid  in  selecting  an 
early  market  variety . 


10 


Yield  of  Early  Varieties  July  9th. 


Name  of  Variety. 

No,  bushels  large 
potatoes  per  acre 

No.  bushels  small 
potatoes  per  acre 

Date  of 
Mat’rity. 

Early  Ohio 

100 

9£ 

July  30. 

Watson  Seedling 

86 

23* 

Aug.  4, 

White  Elephant 

SO* 

28 

Aug.  4. 

Clark’s  No.  1 

57£ 

33 

Aug.  4. 

Thorburn 

105 

14 

Aug.  4. 

Early  Telephone 

43 

19 

Aug.  8. 

Early  Pearl 

38 

14 

Aug.  8. 

Lee’s  Favorite 

90f 

23 

Aug.  8. 

Early  Sunrise 

124 

19 

Aug.  8. 

Mayflower 

52i 

19 

Aug.  12. 

Beauty  of  Hebron 

86 

14 

Aug.  8. 

Early  Maine 

105 

23 

Aug.  8. 

Vick’s  Extra  Early 

-»* 

14 

Aug.  11. 

St.  Patrick 

23 

14 

Aug.  17. 

Alma 

47£ 

9i 

Aug.  4. 

Brownell’s  Best 

9* 

2.3 

Aug.  8. 

Prairie  Russe 

66£ 

38 

Aug.  2. 

Crane’s  June  Eating 

95 

23 

July  31. 

Crane’s  Extra  Keeper 

81 

14 

Aug.  12. 

Ruby 

76£ 

28 

Aug.  4. 

Early  Harvest. 

105 

19 

Aug.  2. 

DOES  THE  MANNER  OF  PREPARING  POTATOES  FOR  SEED  IN- 
FLUENCE THE  YIELD? 

It  has  been  held  by  some  that  if  a large  potato  with  all 
eyes  cutout  but  one*  be  planted,  a larger  per  cent,  of  early 
marketable  potatoes  will  be  produced,  than  if  the  seed  were 
cut,  or  small  potatoes  planted  whole.  A study  of  this  ques- 
tion was  made  the  past  season,  with  four  varieties,  the  re- 
sult in  each  case  — as  given  in  the  table  — being  in  favor  of 
the  large  prepared  seed. 

The  practice  of  cutting  the  potatoes  in  advance  of  plant- 
ing time,  is  very  common,  and  certainly  a wise  precaution, 
if  it  can  be  done  without  affecting  the  vitality  of  the  seed. 
As  shown  in  the  table,  the  result  of  an  experiment,  with  one 
exception,  was  in  favor  of  fresh  cut  seed.  It  is  possible  that 


11 


the  early  cut  seed  was  left  too  long  before  planting.  More 
extended  work  is  necessary,  however,  before  this  can  be  ac- 
cepted as  a fact. 


Potato  Experiments  on  Different  Methods  of  Preparing  Seed. 


Empire  State 


Alexander’s 

Prolific. 


Chicago 

Market. 


Mammoth 

Pearl. 


Alexander’s  j 
Prolific.  1 

Rochester’s  j 
Favorite.  ) 


Chicago 

Market. 


Manner  of  Preparing  Seed. 


Large  seed,  with  all  eyes  cut  out  but  one 

Large  seed,  cut  in  pieces  of  two  eyes  each 

Small  seed,  planted  whole 

Large  seed,  with  all  eyes  cut  out  but  one 

Large  seed,  cut  in  pieces  of  two  eyes  each 

Small  seed,  planted  whole . 

Large  seed,  with  all  eyes  cut  out  but  one 

Small  seed,  planted  whole 

Large  seed  with  all  eyes  cut  out  but  one 

Large  seed,  cut  in  pieces  of  two  eyes  each 

Small  seed,  planted  whole 

Large  seed,  cut  with  two  eyes  in  piece,  planted  fresh 

Large  seed,  cut  with  two  eyes  in  piece  19  days  before  planting 

Large  seed,  cut  with  two  eyes  in  piece,  planted  fresh 

Large  seed, cut  with  two  eyes  in  piece  12  days  before  planting 
Large  seed,  cut  and  rolled  in  plaster  12  days  before  planting 

Large  seed,  cut  with  two  eyes  in  piece,  planned  fresh 

Large  seed,  cut  with  two  eyes  in  p ece  12  days  before  planting 
Large  seed,  cut  and  rolled  in  plaster  12  days  before  planting 


Yield 

Large. 

Yield 

Small. 

152  ?-8 

38 

102  4-5 

64*4 

76*4 

71% 

132*4 

26*4 

80  3-5 

12  4 5 

61% 

30  5-6 

199*4 

76*4 

109  1-6 

65*4 

149*4 

30 

rm 

19 

95*4 

47  3-4 

117 

36% 

84% 

25 

124  1-6 

19 

76  3-5 

19  5-6 

52 

15  3-5 

119  2-5 

47% 

142 

50*4 

114  3-5 

52 

Notes  Taken  on  Potatoes. 

Watson  Seedling:  Below  the  average  in  size,  nearly 
spherical,  white,  close  and  shallow  in  hill,  eyes  not  deep, 
medium  heavy  top;  ripe  August  4. 

Rochester  Favorite:  Heavy  top,  tubers  long  and  cylin- 
drical, eyes  deep,  somewhat  scattered  but  shallow  in  hill, 
skin  white;  ripe  August  14. 

Mammoth  Prolific:  Luxuriant  growth  of  top,  tubers 
spherical,  sometimes  flattened,  skin  and  flesh  white,  very 
close  and  shallow  in  hill,  smooth  and  but  few  eyes;  ripe 
August  14. 

Dakota  Red:  Long  slender  top, skin  dark  colored,  chang- 
ing to  pink  at  seed  end,  tubers  long,  cylindrical,  eyes  of  me- 
dium depth,  somewhat  scattered  in  hill;  ripe  September  1. 

Baraboo  White:  Light  top,  tubers  below  the  average  in 
size  and  nearly  spherical,  sometimes  egg  shaped,  eyes  shal- 
low, skin  and  flesh  white,  medium  depth  and  close  in  hill; 
ripe  August  2. 


12 


Huebner’s  Badger  State:  Medium  top,  nearly  spherical, 
sometimes  flattened,  close  in  hill,  eyes  rather  deep,  not  very 
smooth;  ripe  August  21. 

Rose  Seedling:  Medium  top,  tubers  good  size,  generally 
spherical  but  often  flattened,  skin  white,  close  in  hill,  eyes 
medium  depth;  ripe  August  21. 

Magnumbonum:  An  English  variety  of  no  value  in  this 
climate. 

Pearl  of  Savoy:  Medium  top,  usually  spherical,  some- 
times egg  shaped,  close  in  hill,  very  smooth,  one  of  the  de- 
sirable early  sorts;  ripe  August  8. 

Early  Telephone:  Very  dense  top,  but  few  tubers  of  mar- 
ketable size,  white  and  slightly  russetted,  somewhat  scat- 
tered in  hill;  ripe  August  8. 

Blue  Victor:  Skin  blue,  with  white  streaks,  usually 
spherical,  slightly  russetted,  very  close  in  hill,  of  medium 
depth,  eyes  rather  deep;  ripe  August  17. 

Stray  Beauty:  Light  top,  which  was  injured  by  blight 
July  16th,  tubers  spherical  in  shape,  of  rose  color,  and  pink 
eyes  of  medium  depth,  slightly  russetted,  close  in  hill;  ripe 
July  28th,  one  of  the  three  earliest  varieties. 

Green  Mountain:  Medium  top,  tubers  very  irregular  in 
shape,  skin  white,  sometimes  russetted,  eyes  shallow,  close 
in  hill;  ripe  Aug.  4th. 

Potentate:  Heavy  top,  tubers  generally  cylindrical,  but 
often  irregular  with  small  potatoes  attached,  skin  white 
and  slightly  russetted,  very  close  and  shallow  in  hill,  eyes 
rather  deep;  ripe  September  7th. 

Clark’s  No.  1:  Strong  top,  tubers  vary  in  shape  from 
spherical  to  half  round,  skin  white  and  russetted,  close  and 
shallow  in  hill,  smooth;  ripe  August  4th;  one  of  the  standard 
early  sorts. 

Garfield:  Vigorous  top,  tubers  usually  long  and  egg- 
shaped,  close  and  shallow  in  hill:  ripe  August  4th;  a prom- 
ising early  variety. 

Early  Pearl:  Top  long  and  slender,  tubers  oval  in  shape, 
skin  white  and  russetted,  close  in  hill;  ripe  Aug.  8th. 

Thunderbolt:  Medium  top,  tubers  of  good  size,  cylindrical. 


13 


russetted,  eyes  of  medium  depth,  close  in  hill,  color  white; 
ripe  Aug.  31st. 

Mammoth  Pearl:  Light  top,  vines  slender,  but  few  tubers 
of  marketable  size,  eyes  not  deep,  close  and  shallow  in  hill; 
ripe  August  l?th. 

Irish  Regent:  Very  inferior,  not  suited  for  this  climate. 

Early  Harvest:  Much  like  the  Early  Rose,  a good  early 
variety;  ripe  August  2nd. 

Red  Star:  Tubers  usually  spherical,  but  often  flattened, 
color  white,  russetted,  eyes  rather  deep,  above  the  average 
in  size;  ripe  August  21st. 

Empire  State:  Tubers  cylindrical  in  shape,  white  and 
smooth,  ripe  August  31st,  a good  late  variety. 

White  Star:  Heavy  top,  tubers  usually  long,  small  pota- 
toes often  attached,  white,  eyes  shallow,  ripe  August  31st. 

Thorburn:  Light  but  strong  top,  commonly  spherical, 
but  varies  to  oval  in  shape,  yellowish  skin,  russetted,  very 
smooth,  ripe  August  4th,  quality  excellent,  very  desirable 
early  sort. 

American  Giant:  Heavy  top,  tubers  long,  taper  rapidly* 
to  stem  end,  irregular  in  shape,  small  potatoes  often  at- 
tached, white,  close  and  shallow  in  hill;  ripe  August  22. 

Alexander’s  Prolific:  Strong  top,  tubers  usually  long  and 
of  good  size,  skin  white,  eyes  medium  depth,  close  in  hill; 
ripe  August  28;  a late  variety  worthy  of  trial. 

Gen.  McClellan:  Heavy  spreading  top,  tubers  nearly 

spherical,  sometimes  flattened,  above  the  average  in  size, 
skin  white  and  russeted,  eyes  of  medium  depth,  close  in 
hill;  ripe  Aug.  26;  a very  productive  medium  or  late  variety. 

Early  Ohio:  Light  but  strong  top,  shape  of  tuber  varies 
from  spherical  to  oval  in  shape,  but  few  small  potatoes;  ripe 
July  30;  one  of  the  standard  early  varieties. 

Lee’s  Favorite:  Medium  top,  tubers  generally  long,  skin 
white  and  russeted,  grows  close  and  shallow  in  hill;  ripe 
August  8;  a very  desirable  early  sort. 

Early  Sunrise:  One  of  the  best  early  varieties;  ripe  Aug- 
ust 8. 

Jumbo:  Rank  top,  tubers  commonly  spherical  and  of 


u 


good  size,  eyes  of  medium  depth,  close  in  hill;  ripe  August 
17;  a productive  variety,  but  inclined  to  be  scabby. 

Mayflower:  Strong  top,  tubers  usually  long,  very  smooth 
and  slightly  russeted;  ripe  August  17;  a good  variety  but 
not  so  productive  as  others. 

Perfect  Peach  Blow:  Very  inferior  in  size,  eyes  deep, 

scattered  in  hill;  ripe  August  22. 

White  Seedling:  Heavy  top,  tubers  long,  cylindrical, 
white,  eyes  deep,  making  it  very  rough,  badly  scattered  in 
hill;  ripe  August  22. 

Beauty  of  Hebron:  Medium  top,  one  of  the  standard 
early  varieties. 

Early  Maine:  Medium  top,  tubers  long,  cylindrical,  some- 
times flattened,  eyes  of  medium  depth  and  quite  numerous, 
color  white,  close  in  hill;  ripe  August  8;  a very  productive 
early  sort. 

Vick’s  Extra  Early:  Medium  top,  tubers  of  good  length, 
cylindrical,  white,  russeted,  close  in  hill;  ripe  August  11;  a 
promising  early  variety. 

Hall’s  Early  Peach  Blow:  Medium  top,  tubers  spherical, 

white  with  pink  eyes  and  stripes,  eyes  deep,  of  fair  size 
scattered  in  hill;  ripe  August  17. 

St.  Patrick:  Tubers  spherical  and  of  good  size,  eyes  me- 
dium depth,  close  in  hill;  ripe  August  17.  An  early  va- 
riety worthy  of  trial. 

Charter  Oak:  Heavy  top,  tubers  nearly  spherical,  some- 
times oblong,  inferior  in  size;  ripe  August  21. 

O.  K.  Mammoth:  Medium  top,  usually  spherical  in  shape, 
white,  close  in  hill,  eyes  medium  depth,  of  fair  size;  ripe 
August  14. 

Vanguard:  Heavy  top,  tubers  vary  from  spherical  in 

shape  to  half  round,  very  large,  eyes  rather  deep,  color 
white,  slightly  russeted,  close  in  hill;  ripe  August  26;  wor 
thy  of  trial. 

Salt  Lake  Queen:  Tubers  of  fair  length,  cylindrical, 
white  eyes  of  medium  depth,  close  and  shallow  in  hill;  ripe 
August  21. 

Alma:  Medium  top,  tubers  spherical,  sometimes  flattened, 
but  few  eyes  and  shallow,  giving  the  potato  a very  smooth 


15 


appearance,  color  yellowish,  russetted,  fair  size;  ripe  August 
4.  A very  attractive  variety. 

Brownell’s  Best:  Light  top,  tubers  yellowish  in  color, 
very  inferior  in  size. 

English  Champion:  Very  inferior  in  size  and  yield. 

Prairie  Russe:  Light  top,  tubers  good  length,  cyndrical, 
white,  russeted;  scattered  in  hill,  ripe  August  2. 

Ice  Cream:  A white  and  very  smooth  potato,  but  very  in- 
ferior in  size  and  yield;  ripe  July  31. 

White  Peach  Blow:  Very  inferior. 

Burbank’s  Seedling:  Conceded  to  be  a very  desirable 
medium  early  potato,  but  was  not  very  productive  with  us. 

Monroe  County:  Rank  top,  but  tubers  were  inferior  in 
size  and  yield,  eyes  rather  deep  and  numerous,  scattered  in 
hill;  ripe  Aug.  21. 

Pride  of  America:  Inferior  in  size  and  yield,  tubers  also 
show  some  signs  of  decay;  ripe  Aug.  4. 

Blue  Victor  Cross:  Color  yellowish  eyes,  medium  depth, 
close  in  hill,  possesses  no  particular  merits. 

Prohibitionist:  Rank  top,  tubers  irregular  in  shape,  small 
potatoes  often  attached,  skin  yellowish,  pink  underneath, 
above  the  average  in  size,  eyes  shallow,  close  in  hill;  ripe 
August  31;  the  growth  of  this  variety  covered  a longer  per- 
iod than  any  of  the  rest,  worthy  of  trial. 

Crane’s  June  Eating:  Medium  top,  tubers  usually  spheri- 
cal, though  sometimes  flattened,  color  yellowish,  russetted 
eyes  shallow,  close  in  hill,  an  early  variety  of  great  promise. 

Crane’s  Extra  Keeper:  Later  than  the  last  named  variety, 
but  has  much  the  same  appearance,  not  near  as  productive; 
ripe  August  12. 

Duchess:  Inferior  in  size  and  yield. 

Vermont  Champion:  Heavy  top,  tubers  nearly  spherical, 
small  potatoes  often  attached,  color  white,  eyes  shallow, 
close  in  hill;  ripe  Aug.  17.  A very  productive  medium  early 
variety. 

Cook’s  Superb:  Rank  top,  tubers  usually  spherical,  color 
yellowish,  very  smooth,  close  in  hill,  above  the  average  in 
size,  ripe  Aug.  17.  Worthy  of  further  trial. 

Ruby:  Light  top,  tubers  vary  from  spherical  to  egg- 


16 


shaped,  color  dark  red,  below  the  average  in  size,  ripe 
August  4. 

Everett:  An  early  variety  of  no  great  merit. 

Early  Gun:  Tubers  good  length,  cylinderical,  yellowish 
with  pink  eyes,  worthy  of  trial. 

Western  Pride:  Heavy  top,  tubers  fair  length  cylindrical, 
skin  white,  very  smooth,  close  in  hill;  ripe  Aug.  4. 

Chas.  Downing:  Tubers  commonly  spherical,  sometimes 

oval  in  shape,  a very  smooth  attractive  potato,  somewhat 
scattered  in  hill;  ripe  July  31. 

Bliss  Triumph:  Tubers  spherical,  color  dark  red,  eyes 
medium  depth,  good  size;  ripe  July  28. 

Montana:  Yield  very  inferior,  ripe  August  11. 

Adirondack:  Tubers  egg-shaped,  color  brown  with  pink 
eyes,  very  smooth,  but  inferior  in  size  and  yield;  ripe 
August  17. 

Vick’s  Prize:  Tubers  spherical  of  a yellowish  color,  fair 

size,  inclined  to  be  scabby,  eyes  shallow;  ripe  August  17. 

VARIETIES  PROMISING  WELL. 

Among  the  new  and  desirable  early  varieties  might  be 
mentioned  the  Early  Sunrise,  Thorburn  and  Crane’s  June 
Eating.  The  following  medium  early  sorts  are  very  prom- 
ising: Gen.  McClellan,  Cook’s  Superb  and  Vermont  Cham- 
pion. Of  the  late  varieties,  Dakota  Red,  Badger  State,  Blue 
Victor  and  Empire  State  are  reccommended  for  trial. 

Names  and  Post  Office  of  Parties  from  whom  seed  was  obtained. 

Hiram  Sibley  & Co.,  Chicago,  111. 

I.  F.  Tillinghast,  La  Plume,  Pa. 

Paul  Lachmond,  Sauk  City,  Wis. 

James  Wilson,  Madison,  Wis. 

J.  W.  Wood,  Baraboo,  Wis. 

H.  P.  West,  Fayetteville,  Wis. 

Tlios.  Crane,  Fort  Atkinson,  Wis. 

J.  C.  Vaughn,  Chicago,  111. 

L.  D.  Blue,  Ayersville,  Ohio. 

E.  A.  Smith,  Marengo,  111. 

Dept.  Agriculture,  Washington. 

Note.— It  is  impossible  for  the  Station  to  undertake  to  furnish  seed  to 
those  requesting  it.  Our  plats  are  small  in  size  when  the  tests  are  made 
and  the  product  irom  any  one  variety  small.  Reliable  seedsmen  and  oth- 
ers can  supply  all  the  varieties  herein  mentioned. 


Delaware:  From  a Photograph  taken  in  the  Fall  of  1887,  of  a vine  set  five  years 

before.  (About  all  the  leaves  were  cut  away  to  show  the  fruit.) 


. 


' . . G.U 

•■.ij 


' 


j >:■■ 


.... 


r ■ 


Worden:  From  a photograph  taken  in  the  Fall  of  1886,  of  a vine  set  four  years  before. 

(A  few  leaves  were  cut  away  in  order  to  expose  the  fruit.) 


THE  STATION  VINEYARD. 


By  W.  A.  Henry. 

In  1882  a small  vineyard  of  about  200  grape  vines  was 
planted,  and  has  prospered  so  well  that  we  are  desirous  of 
getting  our  farmers  more  generally  interested  in  this  most 
delicious  fruit  which  can  be  successfully  grown  in  this  state 
with  a reasonable  amount  of  attention. 

In  the  very  start  let  it  be  known  that  we  have  managed 
this  vineyard  upon  a very  simple  plan,  and  that  no  person 
particularly  skilled  in  grape  growing  has  had  anything  to 
do  with  the  vines.  To  grow  grapes,  as  we  grow  them, 
requires  care  and  attention  in  about  equal  degree  with,  say 
potato  growing,  when  large  crops  are  the  almost  uniform 
result  as  is  the  case  with  some  farmers  in  every  neigh- 
borhood. This  does  not  imply  that  a low  grade  of 
intelligence  is  necessary,  but  the  comparison  is  made  to 
divest  the  vine  of  much  of  the  mystery  with  which  it  is  en- 
veloped. Many  people  seem  to  think  that  the  mysteries  of 
planting  and  pruning  the  vine  can  only  be  mastered  by  a 
few  who  were  early  schooled  by  careful  training  in  the  vine- 
yards of  Europe.  This  article  is  written  to  dispel  that  view 
as  far  as  possible  and  to  extend  the  culture  of  the  vine 
among  the  farmers  of  Wisconsin,  many  of  whom  could  with 
pleasure  and  profit  do  so  if  they  only  would  give  the  matter 
proper  attention. 

We  ask  those  professionals  who  always  differ  from  every- 
body else  and  each  other  about  viticulture  to  please  not  read 
this  article,  for  it  is  not  meant  for  them,  and  will  prove  a 
disappointment  if  read.  As  no  two  of  this  class  agree  on 
pruning  and  training,  the  very  best  article  written  could  only 
suit  one  such  at  most;  appealing  to  an  entirely  different 
class  of  readers,  we  hope  to  interest  scores. 

Location  of  the  Vineyard.  — Knowing  that  grapes  lo- 
cated any  distance  from  the  house  would  fall  a prey  to  dep- 
2 


18 


redators  of  various  sorts,  we  located  the  vineyard  close  to 
the  farm-house  on  a not  very  favorable  soil.  This  soil  is 
not  so  well  drained  as  it  should  be,  and  is  a rather  hard  clay 
below  and  loamy  above,  made  quite  rich  from  having  been 
a vegetable  garden  for  some  years.  The  average  farmer 
will  do  just  as  we  did  if  he  plants  a vineyard,  he  will  locate 
it  somewhere  near  his  buildings.  Any  good  soil  which  could 
be  used  with  success  for  garden  purposes,  will  prove  satis- 
factory. 

Preparation  of  Soil  and  Planting . — The  ground  was 
plowed  as  for  corn;  fall  plowing  would  be  all  right.  Early 
in  the  spring,  the  earlier  the  better,  mark  the  ground  both 
ways  with  a four-foot  corn  marker.  By  skipping  every 
other  row,  we  can  have  our  vines  eight  feet  apart  each  way. 
At  the  intersection  of  these  marks  dig  post  holes  and  set 
posts  securely.  These  posts  can  be  a little  lighter  than  good 
fence  posts,  and  should  be  set  about  the  same  depth.  After 
the  posts  are  set,  dig  good,  broad  holes,  and  set  in  one  year 
old  grape  vines,  working  the  earth  about  the  roots  with 
the  hands.  Cut  the  vine  well  back  at  planting.  Let  one  or 
two  canes  grow  up,  training  these  to  the  post  by  using 
strong  twine  for  tying. 

Cultivation. — Here  is  the  work  in  which  many  grape 
growers  make  a failure.  In  training  to  wires  and  treillises 
they  so  obstruct  cultivation  that  the  ground  grows  up  to 
weeds,  and  with  the  weeds  comes  carelessness  in  general 
and  failure  results.  Vines  set  as  here  directed,  admit  of 
cheap,  easy  cultivation.  The  ground  can  be  cultivated  each 
way  with  narrow  drags  and  cultivators,  and  only  the  weeds 
growing  close  about  the  vine  have  to  be  destroyed  by  the 
hoe  and  hand  pulling.  It  is  just  as  easy  to  tend  such  a vine- 
yard as  it  is  a corn  or  potato  field,  only  the  cultivation  com- 
mences earlier  and  lasts  later.  Any  farmer  can  see  at  a 
glance  that  with  the  vines  well  tied  up  to  the  posts,  which 
are  eight  feet  apart  each  way,  he  can  go  into  a vineyard 
with  harrows  and  cultivators  and  easily  keep  the  soil  en- 
tirely free  from  weeds  by  the  aid  of  the  hoe  to  remove 
weeds  from  the  small  square  about  the  vines.  I believe  that 
our  success  has  been  largely  due  to  the  frequent  stirring  of 


19 


the  soil  made  easily  possible  by  the  manner  of  training  the 
vines.  Other  systems  of  training  may  give  more  fruit  to 
the  acre  but  this  plan  is  eminently  pratical  for  the  farmer 
who  cares  more  for  economy  of  labor  than  land. 

The  ground  should  be  stirred  about  once  a week  from 
spring  to  fall,  shallow  cultivation  being  the  rule.  By  stir- 
ring so  frequently  the  weeds  do  not  annoy  and  the  minimum 
of  hand  labor  is  required.  If  one  cannot  keep  a vineyard 
entirely  free  from  weeds  he  should  not  plant  one. 

Pruning. — Here  is  the  great  bugbear  in  grape  growing,  a 
cause  that  keeps  more  from  planting  the  vine  than  all  others 
combined.  Far  be  it  from  the  writer  to  make  light  of  the 
subject.  Upon  the  method  of  pruning  may  rest  success  or 
failure,  but  surely  the  intelligent  farmer  may  undertake  to 
grow  grapes  with  a few  general  rules,  reasonable  enough  in 
themselves,  hence  easily  learned  and  remembered.  We  may 
state  them  thus:  1st.  Keep  the  vine  limited  to  the  post; 
don’t  let  it  spread  far  enough  to  be  in  the  way  of  the  culti- 
vator. 2d.  Prune  in  the  fall  or  very  early  in  spring;  for  the 
farmer  fall  pruning  is  safest.  3d.  Aim  to  grow  at  least  four 
canes  or  vines  to  each  post.  You  cannot  always  get  so  many 
by  the  third  or  fourth  year,  but  aim  to  get  them.  4th.  Cut 
out  the  oldest  cane  close  to  the  ground  each  season  letting  one 
new  strong  cane  succeed  the  old  one.  5th.  The  three  or  more 
canes  left  must  bear  the  fruitwood;  leave  at  pruning  time 
three  or  four  spurs  of  new  wood  to  each  of  the  three  canes, 
and  cut  these  spurs  back  to  two  or  three  buds.  From  these 
buds  comes  the  new  wood  which  will  bear  fruit.  6th.  Guard 
jealously  to  keep  the  vine  from  getting  top  heavy;  keep  the 
fruit  wood  low  down  on  the  plant.  Grapes  grown  near  the 
ground  are  the  sweetest  and  best  flavored. 

It  will  be  seen  that  by  cutting  out  one  of  the  canes  each 
season  there  is  no  opportunity  to  grow  “ old  snags,”  which 
become  a puzzle  to  the  grower  who  does  not  know  what  to 
do  next  with  them. 

All  the  summer-pruning  we  do  is  to  go  with  a hedge  shears 
through  the  vineyard  and  clip  the  great  leafy  cluster  of  vines 
on  all  sides  into  a rather  compact  form;  about  three  such 


20 


clippings  are  required.  Of  course  the  young  wood  must  be 
tied  up  from  time  to  time  as  is  needed. 

Burying  the  vines. — Tnis  most  important  step  in  the  care 
of  the  vine  must  under  no  circumstances  be  neglected. 
With  us  about  the  middle  of  October  all  the  strings  are  cut 
and  the  vines  are  bent  over,  after  pruning,  and  held  down 
by  the  foot  until  a couple  of  shovel-fuls  of  earth  are  thrown 
on  the  top.  The  whole  vine  is  covered  up  with  earth  just  deep 
enough  to  be  out  of  sight  even  if  rains  should  wash  off  a little 
earth.  Two  men  perform  the  work  very  rapidly.  The  use 
of  the  earth  is  to  keep  the  vine  frozen  all  winter  instead  of 
freezing  and  thawing  as  it  might  if  left  uncovered.  Don’t 
listen  to  any  one  who  says  there  is  no  need  of  covering. 
Covered  vines  start  off  vigorous  in  spring  while  uncovered 
vines  are  more  or  less  weakened  even  if  they  are  alive.  It 
pays  to  cover  vines  in  Wisconsin  as  well  as  it  does  to  shelter 
stock.  Keep  the  vines  covered  in  spring  as  late  as  possible 
but  uncover  before  the  buds  swell  enough  to  break  off  in 
uncovering  and  tying  up.  Examination  of  the  vines  from 
time  to  time  will  show  their  condition,  and  when  they  must 
be  uncovered. 

VARIETIES  TESTED  AT  THE  STATION. 

Concord. — With  us  the  Concord  keeps  up  its  reputation 
as  a hardy,  reliable  grape  of  fair  quality.  In  no  case  should 
it  be  omitted  from  the  list  when  one  is  thinking  of  setting 
out  grape  vines.  With  us  the  Concord  was  in  prime  condi- 
tion September  15.  While  this  variety  has  the  reputation 
of  being  a good  bearer,  in  no  case  have  we  had  the  vines  as 
well  loaded  as  have  been  several  other  varieties. 

Janesville. — A vigorous  hardy  vine,  having  a grape  of 
low  quality,  even  when  ripe.  It  has  the  reputation  of 
being  an  early  grape  because  it  colors  early,  when  in  truth 
it  is  only  a medium  early  variety  not  ripening  with  us  be- 
fore September  10th  or  with  the  Delaware.  The  pulp  of  the 
fruit,  even  when  ripe,  is  hard  and  indigestible.  We  have 
no  more  use  for  this  variety  of  grape  in  Wisconsin  than  we 
have  for  Texan  cattle  or  Indian  ponies. 


21 


Moore’s  Early. — In  our  judgment  this  variety  should 
head  the  list  of  grapes  for  Wisconsin.  The  vine  resembles 
the  Concord  in  growth,  and  is  healthy  and  vigorous.  Our 
vines  have  not  borne  heavily,  but  have  carried  a fair 
amount  of  fruit.  Its  great  merit  is  its  extreme  earliness; 
this  year  the  berries  were  all  colored  August  15th,  and  by 
August  25th,  the  fruit  was  fully  ripe.  With  us  the 
branches  of  the  Moore  are  shouldered  carrying  berries  rather 
larger  than  the  Concord,  black,  with  only  a fair  amount  of 
bloom  on  them. 

Brighton. — Vine  thrifty,  carrying  a fair  amount  of  fruit. 
Bunches  very  large,  shouldered  with  berries  reasonably 
compact  on  the  cluster;  berries  medium  size,  of  brownish 
red  color;  tender  skin,  very  juicy,  with  rich  melting  pulp 
and  sweet  juice.  It  ranks  with  the  Delaware  in  quality. 
Probably  not  a good  market  grape,  but  worthy  of  attention 
for  home  use. 

Golden  Pockling ton.  — Like  scores  of  others  advertised 
from  time  to  time  as  “ the  grape,”  this  variety  proves  of  no 
actual  value  on  trial  with  us.  It  is  the  poorest  bearer  we 
have  tried,  and  on  Sept.  15th,  the  few  berries  seen  were 
still  unripe.  We  have  no  use  for  it. 

Prentiss. — A slow  grower  which  has  borne  but  a few 
bunches  to  the  vine  with  us.  Bunches  small,  not  shoul- 
dered; berries  small,  pale  greenish  yellow  color;  flavor  ex- 
cellent, very  sweet  and  delicate.  We  can  see  no  place  for 
this  delicate  gro  wer  in  our  list. 

Israella. — Vine  of  medium  growth,  compact  form,  with 
small  leaf.  Bunches  medium  to  large,  ours  not  shouldered. 
Berries  slightly  oblong,  very  compact  in  the  cluster;  black 
with  small  amount  of  bloom.  Fruit  ripe  September  20.  It 
has  no  use  in  our  list. 

Delaware. — This  has  proved  one  of  the  most  thrifty  grow- 
ers and  excellent  bearers  in  our  list.  Pipe  September  10 
where  the  vines  were  not  overloaded.  Berries  very  com- 
pact in  the  medium  sized  clusters,  small,  reddish  in  color. 
Flavor  not  high  but  very  sweet  and  pleasant;  a general 
favorite  where  it  can  be  raised  successfully. 


22 


Worden . — One  of  the  best  varieties.  Vines  very  vigorous, 
resembling  the  Concord.  Clusters  good  sized  and  attractive. 
Berries  large,  round,  black  with  fine  bloom  on  them.  Flavor 
excellent,  better  than  the  Concord.  The  berries  are  not 
held  firmly  to  the  stem  and  so  may  drop  off  at  times 
while  the  cluster  hangs  on  the  vine.  This  trouble  shows  too, 
in  handling  the  fruit,  so  that  parties  growing  fruit  to  ship 
will  not  choose  this  variety  to  plant  so  freely  as  some  oth- 
ers. For  home  use  its  many  excellent  qualities  place  it 
ahead  of  the  Concord.  Fully  ripe  September  10,  though  it 
colored  rather  late  compared  with  some  of  the  other  va- 
rieties. 

Wilder. — Vine  a good  grower.  Bunches  from  small  to 
large,  the  latter  shouldered.  Berries  round,  very  large,  black, 
with  a thick  heavy  skin.  Pulp  soft,  juicy;  flavor  excellent. 
Yield  often  very  heavy.  Ripe  with  the  Concord,  Sept.  15. 
We  are  much  pleased  with  this  variety.  Owing  to  the  thick 
skin  this  variety  should  keep  well  when  one  wishes  to  pre- 
serve it  for  eating  late  in  the  season. 

Lawrence. — Only  medium  in  vigor.  Leaves  rather  small 
though  numerous.  Wood  fine,  much  branching.  Fruit  be- 
tween Israella  and  Brighton  in  quality.  Of  no  use  in  our 
list. 

Merrimac. — Resembles  the  Wilder  but  is  a weaker  vine 
and  does  not  bear  so  well  with  us. 

Dr.  Robinson’s  Seedling. — The  most  prolific  bearer  we 
have,  but  hardly  of  quality  to  entitle  it  to  much  attention  by 
the  general  grower.  Bunches  medium,  good  shape  and 
compact.  Berries  medium,  round,  black,  with  a wonderfully 
bright  purple  bloom.  Ripens  with  the<  Concord.  Worthy 
of  further  trial. 

Rogers’  Hybrids. — We  have  several  other  varieties  of 
Rodgers’  Hybrids  in  the  vineyard  and  some  have  given  ex- 
cellent results,  but  as  some  of  them  are  not  true  to  name  our 
notes  are  not  in  shape  to  guide  others. 

WHAT  VARIETIES  TO  PLANT. 

Judging  by  our  experience  we  would  cut  the  list  down  to  a 
small  one,  of  which  the  Moore’s  Early  should  lead,  mainly 


23 


because  it  is  a grape  of  fair  quality  and  very  early,  earliness 
is  the  great  desideratum  in  a state  so  far  north  as  Wiscon- 
sin. After  the  Moore  comes  in  our  estimation  the  Worden, 
Concord.  Wilder  and  Delaware  in  the  order  named,  though 
for  shipping  the  Worden  might  have  to  come  last  on  the 
list;  for  family  or  home  consumption  it  stands  next  to 
Moore’s  Early. 

WHAT  VARIETIES  NOT  TO  PLANT. 

Don’t  plant  anything  offered  by  the  traveling  tree  ped- 
dlers. Even  if  they  are  reliable,  they  charge  two  prices  for 
everything.  Buy  of  reliable  nursery  men  living  near  you 
who  have  business  standing  or  from  nurserymen  advertising 
in  reliable  agricultural  papers.  What  farmer  would  think  of 
buying  horses  or  cattle  of  traveling  agents  who  showed 
pictures  of  the  horses  or  cattle  they  proposed  to  deliver? 
The  fraud  would  be  too  apparent,  yet  the  same  persons  will 
buy  plants  and  trees  eagerly  of  peddlers,  who  show  over- 
drawn pictures.  Any  of  the  grapes  named  can  be  bought 
at  from  ten  to  fifty  cents  a vine,  according  to  variety,  of 
Wisconsin  nurserymen.  Leave  high  priced  novelties  for 
amateurs  and  specialists  to  test. 

LET  US  HAVE  MORE  GRAPES. 

Grapes  sold  in  our  markets  last  fall  as  low  as  three,  four 
and  five  cents  a pound;  ordinarily  they  sell  much  higher. 
The  year  was  an  unusually  favorable  one,  and  its  like  will 
not  soon  be  seen  again  in  all  probability.  The  California 
farmer  has  sold  grapes  as  low  as  seven  dollars  a ton,  and 
considers  twenty  dollars  a ton  a good  living  price.  At  five 
cents  a pound,  or  one  hundred  dollars  a ton  for  home 
grown  grapes,  the  consumption  will  be  enormous.  We 
can  grow  grapes  at  four  and  five  cents  net  with  profit,  I am 
confident,  and  by  studying  the  business  better  prices  than 
these  can  be  reached  for  the  most  part.  Grape  growers  may 
shake  their  heads  at  what  is  here  written,  but  they  are 
asked  to  recollect  that  Wisconsin  farmers  are  often  asked 
to  sell  pork  at  three  cents  a pound,  and  beef  even  lower. 
While  the  apple  thus  far  has  been  almost  a failure  with  us, 


24 


the  grape  seems  to  revel  in  our  hot  summers,  and,  properly 
cared  for,  winter  does  it  no  harm;  let  us  give  more  attention 
to  this  fruit,  which  so  readily  admits  of  more  extensive  cul- 
ture, and  which  is  such  an  universal  favcrite. 

What  our  vineyard  has  done.  — In  1885,  a small  crop  of 
grapes  was  borne  by  the  vines;  in  1886  a very  large  crop 
of  fine  fruit  was  given,  fully  equal  to  that  of  1887,  which 
was  very  satisfactory. 

It  is  almost  impossible  for  us  to  get  at  the  weight  of  fruit 
per  vine  with  us,  as  the  vineyard  is  visited  daily  during  the 
fruiting  season,  and  few  vines  carry  their  full  load  to  the  last. 
We  have  quite  a number  of  photographs  of  vines  at  the  Sta- 
tion, which  we  think  would  convince  the  most  skeptical  that 
we  can  and  do  grow  grapes.  We  present  at  the  beginning  of 
this  article  an  illustration  showing  a Delaware  vine  with  its 
fruit,  after  most  of  the  leaves  have  been  cut  away  to  expose 
the  fruit.  This  vine  carries  the  fruit  higher  up  than  the 
majority  of  vines  do.  It  will  be  remembered  that  the  Dela- 
ware is  often  considered  a rather  light  bearer.  The  photo- 
graph was  taken  the  fall  of  1887  when  the  vine  had  bee  n 
set  five  years  the  previous  spring.  The  second  illustration  is 
that  of  a Worden  taken  in  1886  or  when  the  vine  had  been 
planted  four  years  the  previous  spring. 


UNIVERSITY  OF  WISCONSIN- 


Agricultural  Experiment  Station, 


BULLETIN  NO.  14. 


ARTIFICIAL  FERTILIZERS  AND  LAND  PLASTER. 


MADISON.  WISCONSIN,  APRIL,  1888. 


Bulletins  and  Annual  Beports  of  this  Station  are  sent  free  to  all 
residents  of  this  State  who  request  it. 


DEMOCRAT  PRINTING  COMPANY,  STATE  PRINTERS 


UNIVERSITY  OF  WISCONSIN 


Agricultural  Experiment  Station. 


BOARD  OF  REGENTS. 


THE  STATE  SUPERINTENDENT,  ex  officio. 


State  at  Large, 
State  at  Large, 
1st  District,  - 
2d  District, 

3d  District, 

4th  District, 

5th  District, 

6th  District, 

7th  District, 

8th  District, 

9th  District, 


Hon  GEO.  H.  PAUL,  President. 
Hon.  E.W.  KEYES,  Ch’n  Ex.  Com. 

Hon.  J.  G.  McMYNN. 
Hon.  HENRY  D.  HITT. 
Hon.  GEO.  RAYMER. 
- Hon.  GEO.  KCEPPEN. 
Hon.  HIRAM  SMITH. 
Hon.  FRANK  CHALLONER. 

Hon.  C.  H.  WILLIAMS. 
Hon.  WM  P.  BARTLETT. 
- Hon.  R.  D.  MARSHALL. 


j Experiment  Station  Committee, 

Regents,  SMITH,  HITT,  and  WILLIAMS. 


OFFICERS  OF  THE  STATION. 


T.  C.  CHAMBERLIN,  LL.  D., 
Prof.  W.  A.  HENRY,  Agr.  B., 
Prof.  S.  M.  BABCOCK.  Ph.  D. 
F.  G.  SHORT, 

F.  W.  A.  WOLL,  M.  S., 

LESLIE  H.  ADAMS, 

Miss  N.  M.  NOTT, 


President. 
Director. 
Chief  Chemist. 
Assistant  Chemist. 
Second  Assistant  Chemist. 

Farm  Superintendent. 
Clerk  and  Stenographer. 


Office,  ------  16  Agricultural  Hall. 

Chemical  Laboratory,  - - - 18  Agricultural  Hall 

Experimental  Fields  and  Barn  on  the  University  Farm , adjoininq 

College  Campus. 

TELEPHONE  CONNECTIONS. 


ARTIFICIAL  FERTILIZERS  AND  LAND  PLASTER. 


In  forests  and  in  new  lands  where  all  vegetation  is  allowed 
to  decay  upon  the  soil  where  it  was  gro  wn,  there  can  be  no  loss 
of  the  elements  necessary  for  the  nutrition  of  plants  except 
what  may  be  dissolved  and  carried  off  in  the  drainage  water, 
or  be  converted  into  gas  and  escape  into  the  air.  Under  nat- 
ural conditions  the  loss  of  fertility  in  these  ways  is  very- 
small,  and  in  most  cases  is  more  than  balanced  by  the  accu- 
mulation of  organic  matter  and  by  the  disintegration  of  the 
soil,  whereby  some  of  its  insoluble  constituents  are  made 
available  for  plants.  Virgin  soils  are  therefore  nearly 
always  fertile,  and  until  the  accumulated  plant  food  has 
been  removed  by  continued  cultivation  and  cropping,  under 
artificial  conditions,  no  necessity  for  manures  or  commercial 
fertilizers  exists. 

Some  prairie  soils  have  apparently  an  inexhaustible  store 
of  plant  food,  and  are  still  yielding  large  crops  after  many 
years  of  cultivation.  This  has  been  the  case  in  Wisconsin 
and  it  is  only  within  a few  years  that  artificial  fertilizers  of 
any  kind  have  found  a market  in  this  state.  Even  now  the 
demand  is  quite  limited  being  mostly  confined  to  plain  super- 
phosphates and  to  land  plaster.  Nitrogenous,  and  potash 
fertilizers  are  as  yet  only  used  by  market  gardeners,  and  for 
some  special  crops.  This  happy  state  of  things  is  not  likely 
to  be  continued  much  longer.  Already  numerous  inquiries 
are  being  received  at  this  Station  concerning  the  source,  the 
methods  of  application,  and  the  effect  of  different  kinds  of 
commercial  fertilizers.  It  is  in  response  to  such  inquiries 
that  this  bulletin  is  issued.  It  makes  no  pretensions  to 


*The  writer  is  indebted,  for  much  of  the  data  used  in  the  preparation  of 
this  bulletin  to  Johnson’s  “How  Crops  Grow”  and  “ How  Crops  Feed,’’ 
Storer’s  “ Agriculture,”  Warrington’s  “Chemistry  of  the  Farm”  and  re- 
ports from  various  experiment  stations. 


4 


treating  the  subject  exhaustively,  but  aims  rather  to  supply 
such  information  and  suggestions  concerning  the  more  com- 
mon artificial  fertilizers  as  will  be  useful  to  the  farmers  of 
this  state. 

Chemical  terms  and  reactions  have  been,  so  far  as  possible, 
omitted. 

THE  COMPOSITION  OF  PLANTS. 

Before  considering  the  action  of  any  fertilizer  it  is  neces- 
sary to  become  somewhat  acquainted  with  the  chemical 
composition  of  plants  and  the  sources  from  which  the  sev- 
eral constituents  are  derived.  The  table  below  is  designed 
to  show  this  in  a general  way;  it  represents  the  weight  in 
pounds  of  the  several  constituents  of  a crop  of  mixed  grasses, 
from  an  acre  of  land,  calculated  from  the  average  composi- 
tion. The  crop  is  assumed  to  weigh  five  tons  in  the  green 
condition,  which  would  make  from  one  and  one-half  to  two 
tons  of  hay,  as  ordinarily  dried. 


COMPOSITION  OF  MIXED  GRASSES  FROM  ONE  ACRE. 


lbs. 

lbs. 

Water 

7,500. 

7,500. 

Carbon  

1,175.  1 

1 

Oxygt  n 

Hydrogen 

950. 

130. 

y Combustible  matter  . . . 

....  2,300. 

Nitrogen 

45.  , 

Potash 

50.  " 

1 

Phosphoric  acid 

11.3 

Lime 

25.1 

Magnesia 

9.0 

Oxide  of  iron 

8 

y Ash 

. . . . 200. 

Soda 

10.6 

Sulphuric  acid 

9.5 

Chlorine 

Silica 

69.2  J 

10, 000.0 

10, 000. 

In  addition  to  the  substances  mentioned  in  this  table, 
plants  almost  al  ways  contain  traces  of  manganese  and  some 
other  elements,  all  of  which  are  considered  as  accidental 
constituents  not  necessary  for  their  perfect  development; 
some  investigators  also  place  soda,  chlorine  and  silica 
among  the  accidental  constituents,  but  as  these  are  always 
found  in  plants  grown  under  natural  conditions,  it  is  safe  to 
infer  that  they  serve  some  useful  purpose  in  the  vegetable 


5 


economy,  and  that  plants  are  more  perfectly  developed 
when  they  are  supplied. 

Water  is  by  far  the  most  abundant  constituent  of  the 
growing  plant.  It  is  nearly  all  derived  from  the  soil,  being 
absorbed  by  the  roots,  and  brings  with  it  in  solution  all  of 
the  ash  constituents  and  most  of  the  nitrogen  which  the 
plant  contains.  It  serves  also  as  a carrier  by  which  the 
products  assimilated  are  transfered  to  the  places  in  the  plant 
where  they  are  needed,  and  finally  by  its  decomposition  sup- 
plies nearly  all  of  the  oxygen  and  hydrogen  to  the  plant. 
It  is  therefore  evident  that  successful  agriculture  is  more 
dependent  upon  a proper  supply  of  moisture  in  the  soil  than 
to  any  other  factor.  Could  this  be  controlled,  failures  in 
crops  would  be  practically  unknown. 

Carbon  comprises  about  half  of  the  solid  constituents 
of  plants  and  is  wholly  derived  from  the  carbonic  acid  of 
the  air;  this  is  absorbed  by  the  leaves  and  decomposed  in 
their  green  cells  by  the  action  of  light,  the  carbon  being  re- 
tained and  oxygen  set  free.  Of  this  there  is  always  an 
abundant  supply,  in  an  available  form  for  all  of  the  neces- 
sities of  the  plant. 

If,  then,  the  water  of  the  soil  be  considered  as  derived 
from  the  air  in  rain  and  dew,  and  the  nitrogen  of  the  soil 
as  having  had  its  origin  in  the  free  nitrogen  of  the  atmos- 
phere, both  of  which  assumptions  are  true,  there  is  in  the 
case  of  the  meadow  hay  considered  above,  9,800  lbs.  out  of 
the  five  tons,  furnished  directly  or  indirectly  from  the  air, 
and  only  200  lbs.  from  the  mineral  matter  of  the  soil.  Nitro- 
gen is  the  only  one  of  the  combustible  elements  of  the  plant 
that  is  not  supplied  by  nature  in  abundance,  in  an  avail- 
able form,  and  is  the  only  one  of  them  which  is  considered 
valuable  in  a commercial  fertilizer.  Of  the  ash  constituents, 
potash  and  phosphoric  acid  are  the  ones  most  likely  to  be 
exhausted  from  the  soil,  and  the  only  ones  to  which  a money 
value  is  given  in  fertilizers.  The  others  are  present  in 
nearly  all  agricultural  soils  in  quantities  sufficient  to  supply 
all  needs  of  the  plant.  Soil  exhaustion  does  not  necessarily 
imply  that  these  constituents  have  been  entirely  removed; 


6 


they  may  even  be  present  in  large  quantity  in  the  soil,  but 
in  forms  not  suited  to  the  needs  of  the  plant. 

A fertile  soil  taken  to  a a depth  of  nine  inches  may  con- 
tain 0.1  to  0.3  per  cent,  of  nitrogen,  the  same  amount  of  phos- 
phoric acid,  and  from  0.2  to  1.0  per  cent,  of  potash.  An  acre 
of  soil  to  a depth  of  nine  inches  will  weigh,  when  dry,  about 
3,000,000  pounds.  If  it  is  assumed  that  the  soil  contains  only 
0.1  per  cent,  of  each  of  these  three  constituents,  there  would 
be  in  nine  inches  of  soil,  3,000  pounds  per  acre. 

The  table  below  shows  the  quantity  in  pounds  of  these 
constituents  which  is  removed  each  year,  from  an  acre  of 
land,  by  a few  of  the  more  common  crops: 


Nitrogen. 

Phospho- 
ric acid. 

Potash. 

Red  clover  hay,  2 tons 

92 

22.4 

78 

Meadow  hay,  l-£  tons 

45 

11.3 

50 

Indian  corn,  grain,  50  bushels 

Indian  corn,  stalks,  4 tons 

56 

52 

19.6 

7.2 

11.2 

48.8 

Total  crop 

108 

26.8 

60.0 

Wheat,  grain,  20  bushels 

22 

8 

9.5 

5.6 

6.2 

12.0 

Wheat,  straw,  1 ton 

Total  crop 

80 

15.1 

18.3 

Barley,  grain,  35  bushels 

30.5 

10.5 

14.1 

3.9 

8.6 

19.4 

Barley,  straw,  1 ton 

Total  crop 

41.0 

18.0 

28.0 

Oats,  grain,  45  bushels 

38 

14 

11.8 

7.1 

8.5 

29.6 

Oats,  straw,  2,800  pounds 

Total  crop 

52 

18.9 

38.1 

Potatoes,  150  bushels 

30.6 

16.8 

50.4 

It  is  evident  from  the  above  figures  than  an  ordinarily 
fertile  soil  contains  sufficient  plant  nutrients,  of  the  kind 
supplied  in  commercial  fertilizers,  for  a great  number  of 


7 


crops,  if  nothing  be  returned  to  it.  Practically,  however 
few  soils  exist  which  can  sustain  many  years  cropping  with- 
out a diminshed  yield,  unless  fertilizers  of  some  kind  are 
used.  It  appears  therefore  that  a large  proportion  of  the 
plant  food  that  is  in  the  soil  is  present  in  some  form 
not  immediately  available.  It  is  one  of  the  chief  advan- 
tages of  tillage  that  it  serves  to  decompose  such  compounds, 
and  brings  their  fertilizing  elements  into  a condition  to  be 
appropriated  by  the  growing  crop.  The  same  thing  is  often 
accomplished  by  the  application  of  lime,  ashes,  land  plaster 
or  salt  to  land.  And  much  of  the  good  effect  which  has 
been  attributed  to  these  substances  is  undoubtedly  due  to 
this  action. 

NITROGENOUS  PLANT  FOOD. 

Although  free  nitrogen  is  present  in  nature  in  immense 
quantities,  composing  as  it  does  nearly  four  fifths  of  the 
earth’s  atmosphere,  the  results  of  all  careful  experiments  in- 
dicate, that  in  this  form,  none  of  it  can  be  appropriated  by 
agricultural  plants.  Before  it  is  available  it  must  be  com- 
bined with  other  elements,  usually  with  oxygen  with  which  it 
forms  nitric  acid,  or  with  hydrogen  to  form  ammonia.  Nearly 
all  of  the  nitrogen  which,  enters  into  the  composition  of 
plants  is  taken  up  by  the  roots,  mostly  in  the  form  of  a 
nitrate.  A small  amount  of  ammonia  may  serve  directly 
as  plant  food,  some  of  it  being  absorbed  by  the  leaves  from 
the  air.  Nitric  acid  is  formed  in  small  quantities  by  the 
direct  union  of  nitrogen  and  oxygen  in  the  air  during 
thunder  storms  and  is  carried  by  the  rain  into  the  soil,  where 
it  unites  with  mineral  matter  forming  nitrates;  but  the  most 
of  the  nitrates  avaliable  for  plants  are  formed  by  the  oxida- 
tion of  ammonia  compounds  and  of  organic  matter  in  the 
soil.  This  important  change  takes  place  chiefly  near  the 
surface,  the  process  being  known  as  nitrification.  It  is 
brought  about  by  the  action  of  a microscopic  organism 
which  lives  in  the  soil,  but  in  what  manner  is  as  yet  un- 
known. It  is  favored  by  warmth  and  moisture,  no  nitrifica- 
tion taking  place  when  the  temperature  falls  below  40°  F., 
nor  when  the  soil  is  excessively  dry.  Its  maximum  effect 


8 


is  at  about  100°  F.,  above  this  nitrification  rapidly  decreases 
and  at  130°  F.,  it  ceases.  Nearly  all  of  these  organisms  are 
found  within  nine  inches  of  the  surface,  none  being  in  the 
subsoil. 

The  researches  of  Way,  and  others,  have  shown  that 
ammonia  compounds  are  to  a considerable  extent  retained 
by  soils,  only  traces  of  ammonia  being  found  in  drainage 
water;  nitrates  however,  are  not  retained  in  this  manner 
and  unless  they  are  appropriated  by  plants  are  easily  washed 
out  of  the  soil  by  rains  and  lost.  Owing  to  the  readi- 
ness with  which  plant  roots  absorb  nitrates,  there  is  prac- 
tically no  loss  in  soils  which  are  covered  by  vegeta- 
tion; on  the  other  hand  the  loss  from  a bare  fallow  is 
sometimes  enormous.  The  lysimeter  observations  at  the 
New  York  Agricultural  Experiment  Station  showed  a loss 
at  the  rate  of  over  200  lbs.  of  nitrogen  in  the  form  of  nitrates, 
per  acre  each  year,  from  the  lysimeter  kept  free  from  vege- 
tation, while  from  the  lysimeters  covered  with  grass  the  loss 
was  less  than  one  pound  per  acre.  Although  these  results 
do  not  necessarily  indicate  what  occurs  in  cultivated  fields, 
they  are  certainly  suggestive. 

In  addition  to  the  nitrogen  removed  from  the  soil  by  crops 
and  by  drainage,  a little  nitrogen  gas  escapes  into  the  air, 
it  being  set  free  by  the  oxidation  or  decay  of  organic  matter. 

The  total  amount  of  this  loss  varies  with  the  climate,  with 
the  kind  of  crop,  and  with  the  method  of  culture.  Tillage 
increases  it,  and  it  is  comparatively  small  in  wild  land  and 
in  permanent  pasture. 

Nature  replaces  these  losses  to  the  soil,  in  the  organic 
matter  which  decays  upon  its  surface;  in  the  nitric  acid  and 
ammonia  dissolved  in  rain  and  dew,  and  lastly,  in  some  un- 
known way7,  from  the  free  nitrogen  of  the  air  by  converting  it 
into  compounds  suitable  for  plant  nutrition.  Under  the  con- 
ditions of  agriculture  the  losses  almost  invariably  exceed 
the  supply,  and  after  a time  the  available  nitrogen  is  reduced 
to  a point  where  profitable  crops  cannot  be  grown  without 
the  use  of  nitrogenous  manures  derived  from  some  other 
source  than  the  soils  themselves.  The  forms  in  which  nitro- 
gen is  usually  supplied  in  artificial  fertilizes  are  nitrate  of 


9 


soda,  sulphate  of  ammonia,  and  organic  matter  rich  in  nitro- 
gen, such  as  dried  blood  and  waste  from  slaughter  houses, 
fish  scraps,  castor  pomace  and  other  vegetable  products  not 
suitable  for  animal  food. 

Such  products  as  linseed  meal,  cotton  seed  meal,  wheat 
bran  and  perhaps  under  some  circumstances  malt  sprouts 
may  be  first  utilized  as  food  for  animals,  when  the  manure 
obtained,  if  properly  saved  and  applied  to  the  soil,  will  fur- 
nish a most  profitable  source  of  nitrogen.  Not  only  are 
these  foods  rich  in  nitrogen,  but  they  also  contain  a consid- 
erable amount  of  phosphoric  acid  and  potash,  as  is  shown  in 
a table  giving  the  pounds  of  nitrogen,  phosphoric  acid  and 
potash  in  one  ton  of  each: 


Nitrogen. 

Phosphor- 
ic acid. 

Potash. 

Linseed  meal 

105. 

37.5 

22.5 

Cotton  seed  meal 

140. 

58.5 

39.2 

Wheat  bran 

45. 

51. 

16.5 

Malt  sprouts 

89.5 

25. 

41. 

Nearly  all  of  these  constituents  are  recovered  in  the 
manure,  and  in  a form  more  available  for  plants  than  in  the 
food  itself.  Only  that  portion  which  is  required  for  the  growth 
of  the  animal  or  for  the  production  of  milk  is  retained. 

PHOSPHATES. 

It  is  quite  well  established  that  the  salts  of  phosphoric 
acid  or  phosphates  as  they  are  called,  are  the  only  source 
from  which  the  phosphorus  of  plants  is  derived;  other  com- 
binations of  phosphorus  are  unsuited  for  plant  nutrition  and 
mostly  act  as  poisons  when  supplied.  Uncombined  phos- 
phoric acid,  even,  is  poisonous  to  plants.  Phosphoric  acid 
usually  occurs  in  the  soil  as  neutral  phosphates  of  lime,  mag- 
nesia and  iron.  These  are  all  insoluble  in  water  so  that 
there  is  practically  no  loss  in  the  drainage  water.  The 
quantity  in  the  soil  is  therefore  only  diminished  by  what 
may  be  carried  off  in  the  crops;  on  the  other  hand  there  is 
no  addition  to  the  supply,  except  by  the  use  of  fertilizers. 


10 


In  this  respect  it  differs  essentially  from  nitrogen,  the  amount 
of  which  in  the  soil  is  undergoing  constant  change. 

The  phosphates  of  lime  are  by  far  the  most  common  and 
are  of  the  most  importance  to  agriculture.  Of  these  there 
are  three,  known  as  tricalcic  phosphate,  dicalcic  phosphate 
and  monocalcic  phosphate,  which  differ  from  each  other 
not  only  in  the  proportion  of  lime  and  phosphoric  acid  that 
they  contain,  but  in  their  solubilities  and  in  the  ease  with 
which  they  may  be  appropriated  by  plants. 

Tricalcic  phosphate , is  the  form  usually  found  in  soils,  it 
comprises  about  95  per  cent,  of  the  mineral  matter  of  bones 
and  is  the  chief  ingredient  of  the  phosphate  rocks  used  in 
the  manufacture  of  fertilizers.  It  is  insoluble  in  water  and 
is  the  form  in  which  the  insoluble  phosphoric  acid  of  fertil- 
izers usually  occurs.  It  is  the  least  valuable  of  the  phos- 
phates of  lime  for  agricultural  purposes,  as  it  is  only  with 
difficulty  assimilated  by  plants.  Its  composition  is: 

Lime 54.2  per  cent. 

Phosphoric  acid 45.8  per  cent. 

Dicalcic  Phosphate  is  found  in  guanos  and  to  some  extent 
in  stable  manures;  it  is  quite  insoluble  in  water  but  readily 
soluble  in  water  containing  carbonic  acid  or  salts  of  am- 
monia. The  phosphoric  acid  of  this  compound  comprises 
what  is  known  in  commercial  fertilizers  as  reverted  phos- 
phoric acid. 

It  is  quite  easily  assimilated  by  plants  and  the  phosphoric 
acid  which  it  contains  is  considered  nearly  as  valuable  fora 
fertilizer  as  is  that  of  the  soluble  phosphate. 

Its  composition  is: 

Lime 41.2  per  cent. 

Phosphoric  acid 52.2  per  cent. 

Monocalcic  Phosphate  is  not  found  in  nature.  It  is  very 
soluble  in  water  but  when  its  solutions  are  brought  in  con- 
tact with  carbonate  of  lime  it  becomes  insoluble,  being 
changed  into  either  the  dicalcic  phosphate  or  tricalcic  phos- 
phate according  to  the  amount  of  lime  present.  It  is  also 
termed  superphosphate  of  lime;  it  contains  the  soluble  phos- 
phoric acid  of  commercial  fertilizers  which,  with  the  re- 


11 


verted-acid  mentioned  above'comprises  the  available  phos- 
phoric acid.  This  phosphate  is  to  be  preferred  to  either  of 
the  others  as  owing  to  its  solublity  it  is  more  easily  and 
thoroughly  distributed  in  the  soil.  This  appears  to  be  its 
chief  advantage  as  in  nearly  all  soils  it  soon  combines  with 
lime  or  iron,  and  is  changed  into  the  reverted  or  insoluble 
form.  Its  composition  is: 

Lime 23.9  per  cent. 

Phosphoric  acid 60.7  per  cent. 

In  the  manufacture  of  superphosphates,  bones  or  the  min- 
eral phosphates  of  lime,  such  as  apatite,  or  South  Carolina 
rock,  are  ground  and  treated  with  sulphuric  acid;  this  com- 
bines with  a portion  of  the  lime  forming  gypsum  or  land 
plaster,  and  if  the  right  quantity  of  acid  is  taken  leaves 
most  of  the  phosphoric  acid  in  a soluble  form.  If  pure  ma- 
terials were  used  in  its  manufacture  the  amount  of  gypsum 
formed  would  comprise  a little  more  than  half  of  the  pro- 
duct, and  the  amount  of  soluble  phosphoric  acid  which  it 
would  contain  would  be  about  28  per  cent.  As  a rule,  how- 
ever, the  phosphates  which  are  put  upon  the  market  do  not 
contain  more  than  15  per  cent,  of  total  phosphoric  acid  and 
often  as  much  as  one-third  of  this  is  in  the  reverted  or 
insoluble  form.  In  computing  the  money  value  of  super- 
phosphates no  account  is  made  of  the  gypsum  nor  of  any 
other  constituent  of  the  fertilizer  except  the  phosphoric  acid. 

When  too  little  sulphuric  acid  is  used  in  its  manufacture, 
the  insoluble  phosphate  which  is  not  decomposed  slowly 
reacts  upon  the  soluble  phosphate  changing  it*  into  the 
intermediate  or  reverted  form.  A similar  change,  but 
more  serious  in  its  effect,  occurs  when  the  phosphate  rocks 
which  are  used  contain  considerable  quantities  of  iron 
or  alumina  compounds.  In  this  case  the  change  may  be 
continued  until  all  of  the  soluble  phosphate  has  disappeared. 

Bones,  as  ordinarly  collected,  contain  from  50  per  cent,  to 
60  per  cent,  of  phosphate  of  lime,  and  from  5 per  cent,  to  7 
per  cent,  of  nitrogen,  and  if  ground  as  in  bone  meal,  are 
valuable  fertilizers.  It  is  a common  occurrence  for  writers 
in  agricultural  papers  to  recommend  the  manufacture  of 


12 


home  made  superphosphate,  by  treating  the  bones  which 
accumulate  around  the  farm  with  sulphuric  acid.  This  is 
very  questionable  advice,  for  the  process  is  not  so  simple  as 
is  represented;  moreover  concentrated  sulphuric  acid  is 
dangerous  to  handle,  especially  by  persons  unfamiliar  with 
its  properties.  A more  practical  way  for  farmers  to  reduce 
bones  to  a condition  in  which  they  may  be  utilized  as  a fer- 
tilizer is  by  composting  them  for  several  months  with 
unleached  wood  ashes.  This  may  be  accomplished  by  pack- 
ing the  bones  with  two  or  three  times  their  weight  of  ashes 
in  a barrel  and  keeping  them  moist  until  they  become  soft 
enough  to  be  easily  broken  up. 

POTASH  COMPOUNDS. 

Nearly  all  clay  soils  which  have  resulted  from  the  disin- 
tegration of  feldspars  and  other  similar  rocks,  contain  a 
considerable  amount  of  potash;  this  is  mostly  combined  with 
silicates  in  a form  not  immediately  available  as  plant  food 
but  by  the  combined  action  of  the  air,  water  and  frost,  these 
compounds  are  slowly  decomposed,  the  potash  becoming 
soluble,  or  so  changed  that  it  may  be  appropriated  by  plants. 
Such  soils  rarely  need  potash  fertilizers.  Most  soils  have 
the  power  of  withdrawing  potash  from  its  solutions  and  re- 
taining it  in  an  insoluble  form,  there  is  therefore,  but  little 
loss  of  potash  in  drainage  waters. 

The  more  common  forms  for  obtaining  potash  for  fertilizing 
purposes  are  in  wood  ashes,  sulphate  of  potash  and  muriate 
of  potash.  Unleached  ashes  from  hard  wood  will  contain 
on  the  average  about  six  per  cent,  of  potash  and  from  one  to 
two  per  cent,  of  phosphoric  acid.  Commercial  sulphate  of 
potash  averages  about  36  per  cent  potash  and  the  muriate 
about  52  per  cent.  The  muriate  furnishes  potash  in  the 
cheapest  form,  but  is  not  suited  for  all  crops;  when  applied 
to  sugar  beets  it  interferes  with  the  crystalization  of  the 
sugar,  and  potatoes  are  said  to  be  made  watery  by  its  use. 
The  quality  of  tobacco  is  always  injured  when  fertilized 
with  it.  On  the  whole  wood  ashes  give  the  best  results  and 
after  them,  the  sulphate. 

Potash  fertilizers  are  particularly  favorable  to  the  growth 


13 


of  clover,  potatoes,  beets,  cabbages  and  in  general  all  leafy 
crops,  while  wheat,  barley,  oats  and  other  grains  are  not  es- 
pecially benefited  by  their  use. 

LAND  PLASTER. 

As  sold  in  the  markets  this  is  usually  an  impure  hydrated 
sulphate  of  lime;  it  is  generally  known  as  gypsum,  and  when 
pure  and  deprived  of  its  water  by  heat  it  constitutes  the 
well  known  plaster  of  Paris.  It  is  soluble  in  about  400 
parts  of  water.  It  occurs  in  small  quantities  in  many  soils 
and  is  often  a cause  of  the  hardness  of  well  water.  Ex- 
tensive beds  of  it  are  found  in  many  sections  of  the  country, 
notably  in  New  York,  Michigan  and  Iowa.  Many  of  the  New 
York  plasters  are  of  rather  low  grade  although  some  beds 
are  quite  pure.  The  Michigan  and  Iowa  plasters  are  gen- 
erally better.  The  best  plaster  used  in  the  eastern  states 
is  brought  from  Nova  Scotia;  some  of  the  Michigan  and 
Iowa  plasters  are,  however,  fully  as  good  as  this. 

Although  land  plaster  is  composed  of  elements  all  of  which 
are  essential  to  the  life  of  plants,  it  must  be  classed  as  an  in- 
direct fertilizer,  as  its  good  effects  are  not  often  caused  by  the 
appropriation  of  its  elements  by  the  plant,  and  as  excellent  re- 
sults are  frequently  obtained  by  its  use  upon  soils  already 
rich  in  lime  or  sulphuric  acid.  Moreover,  ash  analyses  of 
plants  which  have  been  plastered,  and  benefited  by  the  ap- 
plication, do  not  usually  show  an  increased  proportion  of 
lime,  nor  of  sulphuric  acid. 

Although  its  indirect  action  has  long  been  recognized 
there  has  been  a great  diversity  of  opinion  as  to  its  mode  of 
operation,  and  even  now  it  is  not  well  understood.  Liebig 
attributed  its  effect  almost  entirely  to  the  absorption  of  am- 
monium carbonate  from  the  air,  and  it  is  a popular  opinion 
now  that  its  beneficial  effects  are  due  to  this  action.  It  is  a 
fact  that  when  land  plaster  is  added  to  a solution  of  ammo- 
nium carbonate,  the  odor  of  ammonia  disappears,  a mutual 
decomposition  having  taken  place  by  which  the  volatile 
ammonium  carbonate  is  changed  to  ammonium  sulphate, 
calcium  carbonate  being  formed  at  the  same  time.  This  re- 


V 


14: 


action  however  never  takes  place  except  in  the  presence  of 
water,  dry  ammonium  carbonate  and  dry  plaster  having  no 
effect  upon  each  other.  At  best  land  plaster  seems  to  be  in- 
ferior to  soil  as  an  absorbent  of  ammonia;  besides  the 
amount  of  ammonium  carbonate  in  the  air  at  any  time  is 
entirely  too  small  to  account  for  the  benefits  derived  from 
the  use  of  plaster.  A further  argument  against  this  hypoth- 
esis of  Liebig  is  that  land  plaster  rarely  if  ever  supplies  the 
place  of  a nitrogenous  fertilizer.  Such  plants  as  red  clover 
and  Indian  corn  which  are  especially  benefited  by  plaster 
are  not  helped  by  the  direct  application  of  nitrogenous  fer- 
tilizers, although  these  crops  remove  more  nitrogen  from  the 
soil  than  any  others  that  are  commonly  raised  in  this  state. 
On  the  other  hand  a crop  of  wheat  which  contains  less  than 
half  as  much  nitrogen  as  a crop  of  clover  is  largely  im- 
proved by  nitrogenous  fertilizers  and  not  generally  much 
affected  by  plaster.  Another  peculiarity  of  these  crops  is 
that  although  clover  and  corn  each  remove  more  than  twice 
as  much  plant  food  from  the  soils  as  wheat  (see  table  page  6) 
they  are  not  considered  to  be  particularly  exhaustive  in 
their  action  while  wheat  is. 

Although  the  power  of  fixing  ammonium  carbonate  ap- 
pears to  be  of  little  utility  when  plaster  is  applied  to  the  sur- 
face of  the  soil,  it  may  be  of  great  benefit  when  scattered 
over  a heap  of  fermenting  manure,  and  moistened  with 
water,  where  it  will  arrest  all  of  the  ammonia  which  would 
otherwise  escape.  There  as’also  a decided  advantage  gained 
by  strewing  plaster  quite  freely  about  the  stables,  so  that  it 
may  become  mixed  more  or  less  intimately  with  the  ma- 
nure. In  this  way  its  anticeptic  properties  may  prevent,  to 
a considerable  extent,  the  destructive  fermentations  which 
otherwise  almost  invariably  take  place  in  manures,  and 
cause  the  loss  of  much  of  its  nitrogen. 

It  has  also  been  urged  that  plaster  diminishes  the  trans- 
piration of  water  from  the  leaves  of  plants  and  that  by  this 
action  it  enables  plants  to  withstand  droughts  better  than 
they  otherwise  could.  This,  however,  is  hardly  possible,  as 
the  influence  of  plaster  is  more  marked  in  moist  than  in  dry 


seasons. 


15 


Warrington  has  shown  that  the  action  of  the  nitrifying  fer- 
ment, by  which  ammonia  and  the  nitrogen  of  organic  matter 
are  oxidized  to  nitric  acid  is  favored  by  the  presence  of  a 
small  quantity  of  gypsum.  Here  seems  to  be  one  way  in 
which  plaster  may  promote  fertility,  that  is  not  inconsistent 
with  the  quantity  used,  nor  with  tne  usual  mode  of  applica- 
tion; for  nitrification  occurs  near  the  surface  where  the  in- 
fluence of  a small  amount  of  plaster  scattered  broadcast 
would  be  most  effective.  The  same  objection  may  however 
be  made  to  this  supposition  as  to  that  of  Liebig  concerning 
the  absorption  of  ammonia,  viz.:  that  the  application  of 
plaster  does  not  take  the  place  of  nitrogenous  manures,  as 
would  be  expected  if  this  was  its  chief  action. 

It  seems  probable  that  the  most  important  effect  of  plaster 
is  caused  by  its  power  of  setting  free  potash,  and  some  other 
elements  of  plant  food,  from  insoluble  combinations  in  the 
soil  making  them  soluble  and  available.  This  hypothesis  is 
made  plausble  by  the  fact,  that  ash  of  plastered  plants  nearly 
always  contains  a greater  proportion  of  potash  than  that  of 
plants  not  plastered.  Moreover,  plaster  gives  the  best  results 
upon  clay  soils,  and  others  which  contain  considerable  potash 
in  an  insoluble  form,  and  favors  those  plants  which  require 
much  potash  for  their  development. 

Although  there  is  much  difference  of  opinion  as  to  the 
manner  in  which  plaster  acts,  there  is  no  question  as  to  its 
value  when  applied  to  some  crop3.  It  is  particularly  a clo- 
ver manure,  and  generally  gives  better  results  with  this 
crop  than  any  other.  The  best  results  have  been  obtained 
by  application  in  moist  weather,  in  the  autumn  or  early 
spring,  before  the  crop  has  made  much  growth.  It  will 
then  be  dissolved  by  the  spring  rains  and  carried  into  the 
soil.  Applications  of  from  100  to  300  pounds  per  acre  have 
been  recommended,  the  smaller  amount  often  producing  as 
marked  results  as  more;  about  200  pounds  is  the  quantity 
generally  used.  Land  plaster  from  different  sections  is  sub- 
ject to  great  variations  in  quality,  the  impurities  ranging 
from  one  per  cent,  to  over  fifty  per  cent.  The  most  common 
impurities  are  carbonate  and  silicate  of  lime.  Analyses 
made  at  this  station  last  year,  of  plasters  sold  in  this  state. 


16 


showed  a variation  from  seventy-six  per  cent,  to  ninety- 
seven  per  cent,  of  pure  plaster,  and  one  sample  that  was 
sold  for  land  plaster  contained  none  at  all. 

In  order  to  protect  the  farmers  against  imposition  of  this 
kind  and  to  learn  more  about  the  quality  of  the  different 
brands  of  plasters  sold  in  this  state,  the  Station  offered  to 
examine,  free  of  charge,  all  samples  of  land  plaster  sent  be- 
fore May  first.  In  response  to  this  offer  the  following  sam- 
ples have  been  received  and  analyzed,  with  the  results 
given  below.  The  per  cent,  of  pure  plaster  has  been  calcu- 
lated from  the  sulphuric  acid  found;  this,  and  the  insoluble 
matter  being  the  only  determinations  made.  The  insoluble 
matter  is  of  no  value  as  a fertilizer.  This  is  also  the  case 
with  the  undetermined  portion  which  is  mostly  carbonate 
of  lime  and  water. 

DESCRIPTION  OF  SAMPLES. 

Station 

number.  Remarks. 

373.  Sent  by  T.  C.  Decker,  Beloit.  This  plaster  was  purchased  in  Mil- 

waukee, and  is  probably  a Michigan  plaster. 

374.  Sent  by  E.  P.  Richardson,  Ableman,  Ft.  Dodge  plaster. 

375.  Sent  by  S,  E.  Gernon,  Waukesha,  Michigan  plaster. 

377.  Sent  by  S.  C.  Fish,  Reedsburg,  Ft.  Dodge  plaster. 

378.  Sent  by  H.  J.  Sutherland,  Madison,  Ft.  Dodge  plaster. 

380.  Sent  by  W m.  N.  North,  La  Crosse,  Ft.  Dodge  plaster. 

382.  Sent  by  R B.  Kellogg,  Green  Bay,  Sandusky,  Ohio,  plaster. 

383.  Sent  by  S.  C.  Fish,  Reedsburg,  brand  unknown. 

384.  Sent  by  Hiram  Smith,  Sheboygan  Falls,  brand  unknown. 

385.  Sent  by  Chas.  V.  Guy,  River  Falls,  Ft  Dodge  plaster. 

386.  Sent  by  Chas  V.  Guy,  River  Falls,  brand  unknown. 

387.  Sent  by  N.  E.  Becker,  Random  Lake,  brand  unknown. 

388.  Sent  by  Wm.  Toole,  Baraboo,  brand  unknown. 

391.  Sent  by  A.  F.  Noyes,  Beaver  Dam,  Ft.  Dodge  plaster. 

The  price  for  which  these  plasters  were  sold  varied  from 
$6.10  per  ton  to  $10.50  per  ton.  Much  of  the  difference  being 
due  to  cost  of  transportation. 


17 


Analyses. 


Station  number. 

Insoluble  in  acid. 
Per  cent. 

Pure  plaster. 
Per  cent. 

373 

1.74 

90.4 

374 

95.3 

375 

1.78 

87.72 

377 

2.17 

89.72 

378 

2.08 

95.64 

380 

2.46 

94.75 

382 

.31 

93.61 

383 

1.50 

93.15 

384 

1.29 

93.24 

385 

2.37 

95.31 

386 

1.09 

93.85 

387 

2.08 

87.81 

388 

2.21 

94.32 

391 

2.12 

95.98 

All  of  these  plasters  are  of  good  quality,  some  of  them 
being  of  exceptional  purity.  The  difference  in  their  quality 
may  be  largely  attributed  to  the  amount  of  moisture  which 
they  contain.  Plaster  kept  in  a damp  place  will  often  re- 
tain several  per  cent,  of  hygroscopic  water,  which  adds  just 
so  much  to  its  weight.  Before  making  large  purchases  of 
plaster,  one  should  be  sure  that  it  has  been  kept  in  a dry 
place,  and  that  it  is  ground  quite  fine,  a coarse  plaster  does 
not  dissolve  readily  and  is  not  as  prompt  in  its  action.  As 
a rule,  light  colored  plasters  are  purer  than  dark  colored 
ones. 


2 


S.  M.  BABCOCK. 


UNIVERSITY  OF  WISCONSIN- 


Agricultural  Experiment  Station, 


BULLETIN  NO.  15. 


ENSILAGE  vs.  CORN  FODDER  FOR  MILK  PRODUC- 
TION. 


MADISON.  WISCONSIN,  MAY,  1888. 


Bulletins  and  Annual  Jleports  of  this  Station  are  sent  free  to  all 
residents  of  this  State  who  request  it. 


DEMOCRAT  PRINTING  COMPANY,  STATE  PRINTERS 


UNIVERSITY  OF  WISCONSIN 


Agricultural  Experiment  Station. 


BOARD  OP  REGENTS. 

THE  STATE  SUPERINTENDENT,  ex  officio. 


:State  at  Large, 
33tate  at  Large, 
1st  District,  - 
2d  District, 

3&>  District, 

4th  District, 

5th  District, 
-6th  District, 

7th  District, 
District, 

9th  District, 


- Hon  GEO.  H.  PAUL,  President. 
Hon.  E.W.  KEYES,  Ch’n  Ex.  Com. 

Hon.  J.  G.  McMYNN. 
Hon.  HENRY  D.  HITT. 
Hon.  GEO.  RAYMER. 
- Hon.  GEO.  KCEPPEN. 
Hon.  HIRAM  SMITH. 
Hon.  FRANK  CHALLONER. 

- Hon.  C.  H.  WILLIAMS. 
Hon.  WM.  P.  BARTLETT. 

- Hon.  R.  D.  MARSHALL. 


Experiment  Station  Committee, 

Regents,  SMITH,  HITT,  and  WILLIAMS. 


OFFICERS  OF  THE  STATION. 


T.  O.  CHAMBERLIN,  LL.  D., 
f»ROF.  W.  A.  HENRY,  Agr.  B., 
Pbof.  S.  M.  BABCOCK.  Ph.  D. 
¥.  C.  SHORT, 

F,  W.  A.  WOLL,  M.  S., 

LESLIE  H.  ADAMS, 

Mess  N.  M.  NOTT, 


President. 
Director. 
Chief  Chemist. 
Assistant  Chemist. 
Second  Assistant  Chemist. 

Farm  Superintendent. 
Clerk  and  Stenographer. 


Office,  - - - - - - 16  Agricultural  Hall. 

'Chemical  Laboratory,  - - - 18  Agricultural  Hall. 

Experimental  Fields  and  Barn  on  the  University  harm,  adjoininq 

College  Campus. 

TELEPHONE  CONNECTIONS. 


ENSILAGE  VS.  CORN  FODDER  FOR  MILK  PRO- 
DUCTION. 


For  the  past  four  years,  careful  feeding  experiments  have 
been  carried  on  at  this  Experiment  Station  for  the  purpose  of 
determining  the  influence  of  certain  feeding  stuffs  on  milk 
production,  and  also  in  order  to  study  the  value  of  narrow 
nutritive  ratios  compared  with  wider  ones  for  quantity  and 
for  quality  of  milk.  Accounts  of  these  experiments  will  be 
found  in  the  annual  reports  of  this  Station;  the  experiments 
were  all  carried  on  by  Dr.  H.  P.  Armsby,  Director  of  the 
Pennsylvania  Agricultural  Experiment  Station,  late  Pro- 
fessor of  Agricultural  Chemistry  at  this  University.  In  the 
following  experiment,  the  work  taken  up  by  Dr.  Armsby  at 
this  Station  has  been  continued  by  the  present  writer.  In 
plan  and  conduct  this  experiment  is  similar  to  the  previous 
ones;  and  in  the  discussion  of  the  results  obtained  the  same 
method  of  presentation  will  be  followed,  as  before  used  by 
Dr.  Armsby. 

The  silo,  when  first  introduced  into  this  country  on  a large 
scale,  very  soon  found  ardent  advocates,  who,  in  their  en- 
thusiasm, claimed  everything  for  the  silo  and  its  product, 
the  ensilage.  The  last  years  have  brought  about  great 
changes  in  our  methods  of  preparing  ensilage,  and  largely 
widened  our  knowledge  of  its  qualities.  The  study  of  the 
subject  having  become  more  thorough,  balances  and  scien- 
tific methods  of  observation  have  proven  or  disproven  what 
was  before  only  guessed  at.  The  following  experiment  is 
intended  to  be  a link  in  this  general  process  of  verification. 
It  was  undertaken,  not  to  disprove  claims  made  for  ensilage, 
but  to  ascertain  principles.  The  questions  attempted  to  be 
answered  by  the  experiment  are:  what  is  the  peculiar  in- 
fluence of  corn  ensilage  on  the  milk  yield,  both  as  regards 
quality  and  quantity,  as  compared  with  dried  corn  fodder; 


4 


and  what,  if  any,  is  the  difference  in  digestibility  of  corn 
ensilage  as  compared  with  that  of  dried  corn  fodder  of  the 
same  variety  and  of  similar  maturity? 

An  experiment  of  this  kind  must  be  carried  on  in  a strictly 
scientific  manner;  the  discussion  of  it  therefore’  may  be  of 
but  little  interest  to  the  general  reader.  In  the  following* 
however,  only  the  most  essential  points  will  be  considered; 
all  superfluous  data  will  be  omitted,  the  object  in  view  being 
to  make  clear  the  results  obtained  and  the  conclusions  drawn. 
It  is  believed  that  these  results  will  be  of  considerable  im- 
portance and  value  to  any  one  who  wants  what  light  can 
be  brought  on  this  problem,  so  often  discussed  and  so  little 
understood. 

It  will  be  impossible  to  explain  here  certain  technical 
terms  which  will  have  to  be  used  in  the  following.  Persons 
unfamiliar  with  these  terms,  protein,  carbohydrates,  nutri- 
tive ratio,  etc.,  must  therefore  be  referred  to  previous  publi- 
cations of  this  Station.* 

GENERAL  PLAN  OF  THE  EXPERIMENT. 

The  experiment  was  divided  into  three  periods,  each  per- 
iod lasting  three  weeks.  Two  good  milch  cows  which  had 
been  in  milk  for  a couple  of  months  were  selected  for  the 
experiment.  A week's  preliminary  feeding  preceded  the 
experiment  proper. 

During  the  first  and  the  third  period  of  the  experiment,  cut 
yellow  dent  corn  fodder  and  a certain  amount  of  bran  and 
corn  meal  were  fed,  and  during  the  second  period  sweet  corn 
ensilage  was  fed,  with  the  same  amount  of  grain  feed  as  in 
the  corn  fodder  periods. 

As  stated  above,  it  was  intended  to  feed  ensilage  of  the 
same  kind  as  the  corn  fodder,  and  provisions  had  been  made 
to  do  so  in  this  case.  When  the  experiment  had  proceeded 
till  near  the  end  of  the  first  period,  however,  it  was  found 
that  the  yellow  dent  ensilage  which  in  the  upper  part  of  the 
silo  was  very  good,  turned  out  to  be  largely  rotten  with  only 
small  quantities  of  good  ensilage  between,  that  could  be 

* See  for  instance  IV  Annual  Report  of  this  Station,  pp.  99-104. 


5 


fed  in  the  experiment;  it  was  therefore  feared  that  there 
would  not  be  sufficient  good  ensilage  in  the  silo  to  last 
the  cows  throughout  the  period,,  and  it  was  consequently 
found  necessary  to  change.  The  ensilage  fed  during  the 
second  period  was  then  sweet  corn  ensilage  prepared  in  the 
manner  described  below.  This  somewhat  changed  the  ends 
sought  for  by  the  experiment*  and  especially  as  regards  the 
results  of  the  relative  digestibility  of  the  fodders,  it  threw 
in  an  element  of  uncertainty  which  would  not  have  been 
present  if  the  experiment  could  have  been  carried  out  as 
originally  planned. 

In  order  to  ascertain  the  influence  o£  the  feed  on  the  yield 
and  the  composition  of  the  milk,  this  was  weighed  daily  dur- 
ing the  experiment  and  subjected  to  chemical  analysis. 

Further,  in  order  to  determine  the  digestibility  of  the  ra- 
tions given,  the  excrements  from  each  cow  wore  collected  and 
weighed  during  the  last  week  of  each  period,  and  chemical 
analyses  were  afterwards  made  of  the  samples  taken. 

ANIMALS  USED  IN  THE  EXPERIMENT. 


The  following  data  give  the  necessary  information  in  re- 
gard to  the  cows  used  in  the  experiment: 


Name  of 
cow. 

Breed. 

Age. 

Time  of  last 
calving. 

Initial 

weight. 

Notes. 

Topsy  . . . 

High  grade  Hol- 
stein  

6 years 

Sept.  8, 1887. 

1035  lbs 

| Served  Jan. 

Palmer.  . . 

Grade  Short-horn 

8 years. 

Sept.  23, 1837 

840  lbs 

i 4,  ’88. 

Not  served. 

FEEDING  STUFFS. 

The  corn  fodder  used  in  the  first  and  the  third  period  of 
the  experiment  was  a yellow  dent  variety,  the  Pride  of  the 
North;  it  was  grown  at  the  University  farm  during  the  sea- 
son 1887;  cut  August  13-22,  and  allowed  to  stand  out  doors 
in  shock  until  September  10-13,  at  which  time  it  was  stored 
away  in  the  farm;  it  had  kept  nicely.  Before  feeding  it 
was  run  through  a feed  cutter  and  cut  into  half  inch  pieces. 


6 


The  ensilage  fed  during  the  second  period  was  from 
Stowelhs  Evergreen  Sweet  Corn,  being  taken  from  experi- 
mental silo  No.  2,  season  1887.  It  was  of  superior  quality, 
and  what  has  been  termed  “sweet”  ensilage,  of  light  brown- 
ish-green color,  and  of  an  agreeable  aromatic  odor.  The  size 
of  the  silo  was  8 by  8 feet,  and  14  feet  deep.  The  silo  was  filled 
August  17-23,  1887,  with  green,  well  matured  fodder  to  a 
depth  of  about  twelve  feet;  the  fodder  was  cut  and  shocked  a 
day  or  two  before  it  was  put  into  the  silo.  The  filling  was 
done  slowly,  with  an  intermission  of  a couple  of  days  be- 
tween each  filling.  The  fodder  was  tramped  down  well 
around  the  walls  and  in  the  corners  and  otherwise  left  to  it- 
self to  settle;  on  the  top  of  the  fodder,  tarred  building  paper 
was  put  and  then  a layer  of  sawdust  one  foot  deep.  The 
temperature  in  the  different  layers  in  the  silo  was  observed 
during  the  whole  of  the  siloing  period  by  thermometers, 
which  were  lowered  into  iron  pipes  running  down  into  the 
silo  to  different  depths.  The  highest  temperature  was  ob- 
served three  feet  from  the  top  of  the  ensilage  in  the  middle 
of  the  silo,  it  being  125°.G  F. 

The  temperature  on  the  opening  of  the  silo,  November  16, 
1887,  was  as  follows: 

In  the  middle  of  the  silo. 

Three  feet  from  the  bottom 83°.4  F. 

Six  feet  from  the  bottom 87°.8  F. 

Nine  feet  from  the  bottom 96\8  F. 

One  foot  from  the  side  of  the  silo  (facing  barn  wall  and  unprotected  by  any 

other  silo). 

Three  feet  from  the  bottom 68°.  0 F. 

Six  feet  from  the  bottom 73°. 4 F. 

Nine  feet  from  the  bottom 86°.0  F. 

The  bran  used  in  the  experiment  was  from  a car  load 
purchased  in  the  fall  of  1887,  from  the  Minneapolis  roller 
mills. 

The  corn  meal  was  from  a car  load  of  yellow  dent  corn 
grown  in  the  season  of  1887,  in  Iowa.  It  was  ground  at  the 
University  Farm. 


7 


COMPOSITION  OP  FEEDING  STUFFS. 


The  following  table  gives  the  chemical  composition  of  the 
above  mentioned  feeding  stuffs: 


Corn 

Fodder. 

Corn 

Ensilage. 

Bran. 

Corn 

Meal. 

per  cent. 

per  cent. 

per  cent. 

per  cent.. 

Moisture 

18.66 

77.94 

12.50 

12.92 

Dry  matter 

81.34 

22.06 

87.50 

87.08 

100.00 

100.00 

100.00 

100.00 

100  parts  of  dry  matter  con- 
tained . 

Ash 

5.19 

7.74 

6.89 

1.3a 

Ether  Exract 

1.79 

3.58 

4.87 

4.32 

Crude  Fiber 

26.96 

26.84 

11.71 

3.07 

Protein 

9.65 

8.71 

19.45 

10.50 

N.-free  Extract 

56.41 

53.53 

57.08 

80.64 

100.00 

100.00 

100.00 

100.00 

Albuminoids 

7.16 

4.51 

12.93 

8.73 

Amides 

2.49 

4.20 

6.52 

1.86 

Pet  Amide  N 

25.80 

48.42 

33.50 

17.60 

The  ensilage  contained  1.10  per  cent,  of  non-volatile  acids* 
(mainly  lactic  acid)  and  .21  per  cent,  of  volatile  acids  (mainly 
acetic  acid). 


METHOD  OF  CONDUCTING  THE  EXPERIMENT. 

The  cows  were  fed  twice  a day  before  milking,  the  gram 
feed  being  fed  first  and  afterwards  the  coarse  feed.  In  ad- 
dition to  their  feed  they  got  ten  grams  of  salt  daily  (equal  to 
about  one-third  ounce).  The  corn  fodder  was  cut  in  quan- 
tities large  enough  to  last  for  about  a week  and  sampled  at 
the  time  of  the  cutting.  In  the  samples  for  each  week 
water  and  protein  were  determined.  The  coarse  fodders 
were  weighed  out  in  linen  bags  each  forenoon  for  night?s 
and  following  morning’s  feed.  The  grain  feed  was  weighed 
out  in  the  same  manner  in  wooden  pails;  it  was  sampled  by 
taking  a handful  of  each  grain  feed  whenever  a weighing 
was  made,  and  setting  it  aside  in  a closed  fruit  jar  till  the 
end  of  each  week;  in  these  samples  water  was  determined. 


8 


The  cows  were  milked  at  5 A.  M.  and  5 P.  M.  by  the  same 
farm  hand  and  in  the  same  order.  About  half  a pint  of  the 
well  stirred  evening’s  milk  from  each  cow  was  put  in  an 
air  tight  fruit  jar  and  kept  over  night  in  a cool  place;  in  the 
morning  a similar  quantity  was  added  from  the  morning’s 
milk  from  each  cow,  and  these  mixed  samples  of  milk,  one 
from  each  cow,  were  then  subjected  to  chemical  analysis  for 
total  solids,  fat,  casein  and  ash.  The  latter  was  determined 
only  during  the  last  week  of  each  period,  however;  thus 
giving  sufficient  data  during  these  weeks  for  calculating 
also  the  percentage  of  milk  sugar  in  the  milk.  The  specific 
gravity  was  determined  in  each  sample  of  milk  analyzed. 

The  milk  from  both  cows  after  being  weighed  and  sampled 
was  poured  into  a Cooley  can,  and  the  cream  kept  and 
churned  separately  from  that  of  the  rest  of  the  herd;  churn- 
ings were  made  twice  a week.  It  was  not  thought  neces- 
sary to  churn  the  cream  from  each  cow  separately,  when 
the  experiment  was  planned. 

The  cows  were  watered  once  a day  at  about  10  A.  M., 
directly  after  having  been  weighed.  A tank  filled  with 
water  at  50°  F.  was  placed  on  a Fairbank’s  platform 
scale,  and  thp  weight  of  the  tank  was  taken  before  and 
after  the  cows  had  drunk.  After  the  cows  were  watered 
they  were  let  out  in  the  barn  yard  for  exercise,  when  the 
weather  was  not  too  severe.  Here  they  could  get  nothing 
to  eat  or  drink;  they  were  out  from  half  an  hour  to  three 
or  four  hours  according  to  the  weather;  on  nice  mild  days, 
longer;  on  rainy,  stormy  days,  only  for  a short  time.  In 
the  last  week  of  each  period  they  were  not  let  out  at  all, 
however,  on  account  of  the  collection  of  dung  and  urine. 
During  these  weeks  the  cows  were  kept  in  stanchions  all 
the  time;  no  special  provision  was  made  for  them  in  regard 
to  bedding  or  floor.  Two  watchmen  were  kept  with  the 
cows,  one  during  the  day  and  the  other  during  the  night, 
for  the  purpose  of  catching  the  dung  and  urine.  These  were 
collected  separately  with  suitable  arrangements,  and  were 
weighed  and  sampled  after  each  twenty-four  hours.  In  the 
urine  the  percentage  of  nitrogen  and  the  specific  gravity  were 
determined  each  day  and  in  the  dung  the  water  contents. 


9 


The  subsamples  of  dung  from  each  cow  were  mixed,  and 
average  samples  representing  the  solid  excrements  for  each 
week  were  taken  for  chemical  analysis.  The  excrements 
were  weighed  on  a Troemner  solution  balance,  sensitive  to 
one  gram  (equals  .002  lbs.) 

The  temperature  of  the  stable  was  taken  three  times  a 
day,  at  7 A.  M.,  1 P.  M.  and  8 P.  M.,  and  the  average  of  these 
three  readings  was  taken  as  the  temperature  of  the  day. 

The  weighings  of  feed,  water  and  cows  as  well  as  the 
milking  and  sampling  of  the  milk  were  in  charge  of  Mr. 
Herman  Steffen,  farm  hand,  who  also  took  good  care  of  the 
cows  generally.  All  the  chemical  work  connected  with  the 
experiment,  viz.,  analyses  of  the  samples  of  milk,  fodders, 
fodder  residues  and  excrements  were  executed  by  the  pres- 
ent writer.  The  planning  and  general  supervision  of  the 
experiment  and  the  collection  and  discussion  of  the  data 
obtained  have  further  been  my  own  work. 

The  following  summary  of  the  work  done  in  this  experi- 
ment may  be  of  some  interest  as  showing  better  than  the 
figures  hereafter  given,  the  amount  of  labor  which  has  to 
be  performed  in  an  experiment  of  this  kind: 

Weighings. 


Of  Feed 756 

Uneaten  corn  fodder 20 

Dung 42 

Urine 42 

Milk 252 

Butter 18 

Water  drunk 126 

Cows 126 


Total 


1,382 


Of  Stable 


Temperatures  Taken. 


189 


Of  Fodders  . 

Dung 

Urine  . . . . 
Milk 


Chemical  Analyses. 


Single 

Samples,  determinations. 


42 

322 

6 

96 

42 

126 

126 

510 

% 


Total 


216 


1,054 


10 


The  detailed  results  of  the  experiment,  with  between  three 
and  four  thousand  figures  obtained  cannot  be  given  here, 
both  from  lack  of  space  and  because  it  would  serve  no 
special  purpose  in  the  present  discussion.  We  shall  here 
only  give  and  consider  average  figures.  It  is  well,  there- 
fore* to  bear  in  mind  that  these  figures  do  not  give  expres- 
sion for  any  single  observation  or  determination,  but 
represent  the  mean  of  seven  or  often  fourteen  figures. 

The  experiment  commenced  November  18, 1887,  and  con- 
cluded January  20,  1888;  the  preliminary  feeding  for  the  ex- 
periment commenced  November  10,  1887. 


RATIONS  FED. 

The  cows  were  fed  the  following  rations  per  day  in  the 


different  periods: 


TOPSY. 

Period  I. 

18  lbs.  corn  fodder. 

1(H  lbs.  bran. 

2 lbs.  corn  meal. 

Period  II. 

48  lbs.  ensilage. 

Same  grain  feed  as  in  Period  I. 
Period  III. 

Same  ration  as  in  Period  I. 


PALMER. 

Period  I. 

16  lbs.  corn  fodder. 

10  lbs.  bran. 

2 lbs.  corn  meal, 

Period  II. 

42  lbs.  ensilage. 

Same  grain  feed  as  in  Period  I. 
Period  III. 

Same  ration  as  in  Period  I . 


Topsy  ate  her  feed  clean  during  the  whole  experiment.  In 
the  first  period,  second  and  third  week,  and  during  the  third 
period  Palmer  left  more  or  less  uneaten  corn  fodder  each 
day. 

Before  considering  the  effects  of  the  feed  on  the  milk  yield 
we  will  take  up  the  temperature  of  the  stable  during  the 
experiment.  As  is  well  known,  the  temperature  has  a con- 
siderable influence  on  the  quantities  of  milk  given;  in  cold 
weather  only  a small  quantity  of  the  digested  food  can  go 
to  produce  milk  solids,  the  valuable  part  of  milk,  as  much 
is  required  to  keep  up  the  animal  heat.  In  the  following  is 
given  the  average  temperature  of  each  week  of  the  experi- 
ment: 


11 


TEMPERATURE  OF  STABLE. 


Period. 

Date. 

Degrees 

Fahrenheit. 

1 

j November  18-25, ’87 

48°.6 

I 

November  26-December  2. . 

42°.  3 

1 

' December  3-9 

48°.4 

1 

[ December  10-16 

45°.5 

II 

December  17-23 

45°.5 

1 

[ December  24-30  

40°.l 

| 

. December  31, ’87- Jan.  6, ’88. 

40°.3 

HI 

January  7-13 

39°. 0 

January  14-20,  ’88 

36°.0 

Taking  the  mean  of  each  three  of  the  above  figures  we 
get  the  average  temperature  of  each  period: 


AVERAGE  TEMPERATURE  OF  EACH  PERIOD. 


Last 

two  weeks. 

Whole 

Period. 

Period  I 

45°. 4 F. 

46°. 4 F. 

Period  II 

42°. 8 F. 

43°. 7 F. 

Period  III 

37°. 5 F. 

38°. 4 F. 

In  the  discussion  of  the  results  obtained  from  the  experi- 
ment the  mean  of  the  data  from  the  first  and  third  periods 
will  be  compared  with  the  data  for  the  second  period.  In 
case  of  the  temperature  of  the  barn  we  have  42°.4  F.  as  the 
mean  of  the  first  and  the  last  period  of  the  experiment,  or 
1°.3  F.  lower  than  the  average  temperature  of  the  second 
period, — a small  difference,  which  can  hardly  have  any  per- 
ceptible influence  on  the  milk  yield.  If  it  had,  it  would 
have  been  in  favor  of  the  ensilage  period. 

Considering  only  the  last  two  weeks  of  each  period  we 
have  as  the  mean  of  the  first  and  third  period  41°.5  F.  or  the 
same  difference  as  above  of  1°.3  F.  lower  than  the  tempera- 
ture of  the  last  two  weeks  of  the  second  period. 


12 


LIVE  WEIGHT  OF  COWS  AND  WATER  DRUNK. 


Below  will  be  found  the  weekly  averages  for  the  live 
weight  of  the  cows  and  the  water  drunk  per  day: 


Period. 

Week. 

Topsy. 

Palmer. 

Live 

Weight.* 

W ater 
Drunk. 

Live 

Weight. 

Water 

Drunk. 

lbs. 

lbs. 

lbs. 

lbs. 

( 1 

968 

60 

849 

75 

I 

961 

88 

854 

71 

( 3 

965 

90 

850 

81 

( 1 

997 

51 

867 

49 

II 

939 

48 

862 

49 

1 3 

973 

41 

846 

42 

( 1 

941 

71 

819 

79 

Ill 

966 

86 

826 

71 

1 3 

960 

71 

820 

72 

We  see  here  an  increase  in  live  weight  during  the  ensi- 
lage period  in  case  of  both  cows.  At  the  same  time  the 
amount  of  water  drunk  per  day  was  smaller  during  the  en- 
silage period,  the  succulent  feed  itself  supplying  a large 
quantity  of  the  water  necessary  for  the  milk  production  and 
for  the  sustenance  of  the  cows. 

This  is  made  much  more  apparent,  if  we  take  into  consid- 
eration only  the  last  two  weeks  of  each  period  and  calculate 
what  would  have  been  the  live  weight  and  the  amount  of 
water  drunk  per  day,  provided  the  feed  had  been  the  same 
throughout  the  experiment. 


13 


AVERAGE  LIVE  WEIGHT  AND  WATER  DRUNK  PER  DAY. 


Topsy. 


Period. 

Live  weight. 

Water  drunk. 

Found. 

Calc. 

Diff. 

Found. 

Calc. 

Diff. 

I 

lbs. 

963 

lbs. 

lbs. 

lbs. 

89 

lbs. 

lbs. 

II 

981 

963 

+ 18 

44 

84 

—40 

Ill  . 

983 

78 

Palmer. 


I 

852 

76 

II  

854 

838 

+ 16 

46 

74 

—28 

Ill 

823 

72 

The  first  column  headed  Found  gives  the  average  data  for 
the  last  two  weeks  of  each  period.  The  second  column 
headed  Calc.  ( Calculated ) gives  the  mean  of  first  and  third 
period,  and  the  third  column  the  difference  between  the 
number  of  pounds  actually  found  and  the  number  calcu- 
lated. On  account  of  the  ensilage  feeding  there  was  then 
an  increase  in  live  weight  of  18  pounds  and  16  pounds,  re- 
spectively, and  a decrease  in  water  consumed  of  40  and  28 
pounds,  respectively. 

The  latter  observation,  as  to  the  decreased  consumption 
of  water,  has  already  been  explained.  The  changes  in 
live  weight  are  shown  clearly  to  be  caused  by  the  ensilage 
feeding,  the  live  weight  of  Topsy  being  the  same  in 
the  third  period  as  in  the  first,  and  the  live  weight  of 
Palmer  in  the  third  period  not  only  going  down  to  that  of 
the  first  period,  but  even  still  farther.  It  seems  evident  to 
the  writer  that  this  increase  in  live  weight  on  the  ensilage 
feeding  cannot  be  due  to  gain  in  flesh  by  the  cows,  but 
rather  to  retention  of  food  in  the  stomach  and  intestines. 
For  this  supposition  speaks,  besides  what  has  been  said 
above,  the  fact  that  the  increase  of  live  weight  occurred  at 


u 


once  after  the  ensilage  feeding  had  commenced,  and  from 
then  the  live  weight  kept  at  about  the  same  height  during 
the  rest  of  the  period;  when  the  ensilage  feeding  had  been 
discontinued,  the  live  weight  again  at  once  dropped  to  a 
minimum,  to  the  level  at  which  it  kept  during  the  last  corn 
fodder  period.  Further,  as  will  be  considered  later,  the 
amount  of  total  digestible  matter  fed  during  the  ensilage 
period  was  somewhat  smaller  than  in  the  two  other  periods, 
while  but  little  less  was  produced  of  milk  solids;  the  differ- 
ence being  quite  insufficient  to  explain  the  increased  live 
weight.  Finally,  the  determinations  of  the  amount  of  nitro- 
gen excreted  in  the  urine  during  the  ensilage  period  show 
that  both  cows  lost  a little  flesh  during  the  last  week  of  the 
second  period,  the  quantity  of  protein  supplied  in  the  food 
being  smaller  than  the  sum  of  protein  in  excrements  and 
milk. 

The  number  of  pounds  of  fodder  eaten  and  of  water 
drunk  together  was  smaller  during  the  ensilage  period  than 
during  the  corn  fodder  periods,  which  in  connection  with 
the  facts  above  cited  makes  it  hard  to  explain  the  reason 
for  the  increase  of  live  weight. 

This  view  that  the  increased  live  weight  on  ensilage  feed- 
ing is  due  to  accumulation  or  retention  of  food  or  water  in 
the  stomach  and  intestines,  is  strengthened  by  a fact  brought 
out  lately  that  the  carcass  weight  of  animals  fed  on  ensi- 
lage is  smaller  in  proportion  to  their  live  weight,  than  is 
that  of  animals  fed  on  dry  fodder.* 

The  weighings  of  the  cows  from  day  to  day  varied  very 
much  during  the  whole  experiment,  as  is  always  the  case;  the 
amount  of  water  drunk  being  as  it  seems  the  main  factor 
influencing  the  live  weight.  As  an  example  the  following 
weighings  are  given.  The  cows  were  watered  after  being 
weighed;  the  water  drunk  on  a certain  day  consequently 
has  to  be  compared  with  the  live  weight  of  the  following 
day. 


* See,  as  an  example,  the  London  (Eng.)  Agricultural  Gazette,  Feb.  20,  ’88, 
Silage  vs.  Live  Weight  of  Cattle. 


15 


Date. 

Water 

drunk. 

Live 

weight. 

f 

Dec.  13... 

51  lbs 

861  lbs. 

1 

“ 14.... 

47  “ 

896  “ 

Palmer -{ 

“ 15 

0 “ 

863  “ 

1 

“ 16.... 

86  “ 

832  “ 

l 

“ 17.... 

44  “ 

873  “ 

On  December  15fch,  Palmer  refused  to  drink  any  water, 
and  the  following  day  her  live  weight  fell  off  thirty- one 
pounds.  The  necessity  of  considering  average  figures  is 
evident  from  this  one  example. 


GENERAL  CONDITION  OF  THE  COWS. 

It  will  be  observed  from  the  table  giving  the  average  live 
weight  of  both  cows,  that  they  went  through  the  experi- 
ment without  falling  off  in  live  weight  (Topsy)  or  only 
to  a small  extent  (Palmer).  At  the  end  of  the  ensilage 
period  it  was  noticeable  that  the  cows  looked  somewhat 
thin;  this  was  probably  due  to  the  fact  that  a rather 
small  quantity  of  ensilage  was  fed.  The  ration  given 
during  the  second  period  was  not  put  higher,  as  it  was 
thought  that  the  cows  would  not  eat  more  throughout  the 
period;  most  likely  a pound  or  two  more  of  the  ensilage 
would,  however,  been  eaten  clean  up  by  both  cows 

On  changing  the  feed  from  corn  fodder  to  ensilage,  the 
cows  took  to  the  ensilage  with  avidity,  and  this  feed  was 
relished  very  much  during  the  whole  period;  on  going  back 
to  corn  fodder,  both  cows  ate  their  new  feed  with  appetite, 
but,  after  a couple  of  days,  Palmer  left  some  of  her  coarse 
feed  uneaten  and  evidently  did  not  relish  it,  leaving  a part 
of  it  uneaten  every  day,  and  when  it  was  fed,  select- 
ing or  rejecting  what  she  liked  or  disliked.  The  other  cow, 
Topsy,  was  less  particular,  and  ate  all  her  feed  clean  at 
once.  The  appearance  of  the  cows  at  the  end  of  the  experi- 


16 


ment  was  improved  over  that  at  the  end  of  the  second 
period. 

The  cows  were  confined  to  their  stalls  only  every  third 
week  during  the  experiment;  there  is  no  special  reason  to 
believe  that  they  in  any  way  suffered  from  this  confinement. 
The  conditions  under  which  they  were  kept  during  the  ex- 
periment were  as  natural  as  could  possibly  be. 


DRY  MATTER  EATEN. 

In  considering  the  effect  of  any  food  on  milk  production, 
it  is  necessary  to  take  into  account  the  quantity  of  dry  mat- 
ter given  in  the  food.  By  the  dry  matter  of  the  food  we  un- 
derstand everything  which  goes  to  make  up  the  fodder  except 
water.  As  any  one  knows,  all  fodders  contain  a quantity  of 
water,  varying  from  about  12  per  cent,  in  corn  meal  and 
bran  to  more  than  80  per  cent,  in  ensilage  and  pasture  grass, 
and  up  to  90  per  cent,  in  mangolds,  beets,  etc. 

It  is  further  necessary  to  know  how  much  of  the 
dry  matter  is  really  of  value  to  the  animal;  how  much 
is  digested.  This  portion  of  the  food  is  taken  up  into 
the  system  and  utilized  in  maintaining  the  functions  of  the 
animal,  and  in  case  of  milch  cows,  provides  the  required 
nourishment  for  milk  production.  Below  will  be  found  a 
table,  giving  the  dry  matter  fed  in  the  different  weeks  of 
each  period,  the  total  dry  matter,  and  the  total  digestible 
matter  in  each  week’s  ration.  The  latter  was  determined 
directly  during  the  third  week  in  each  period  and  in  the 
other  weeks  calculated  from  the  digestibility  coefficients 
thus  found  for  the  different  rations,  and  for  each  cow: 


17 


AVERAGE  DRY  MATTER  EATEN  PER  DAY  IN  POUNDS. 


Corn 

Fodder. 

Ensi- 

lage. 

Bran. 

Corn 

Meal. 

Total 

dry 

mat- 

ter. 

Total 

digesti- 

ble 

matter. 

Topsy. 

First  Week 

*14.65 

9.44 

1.78 

25.87 

15.23 

Period  I 

Second  Week.. 

14.65 

9.30 

1.75 

25.70 

15.12 

Third  Week  . . . 

14.64 

9.18 

1.80 

25.62 

15.10 

First  Week 

1.03 

11.04 

9.21 

1.73 

23.01 

14.84 

Period  II  - 

Second  Week. . 

11.07 

9.16 

1.77 

22.00 

14.18 

1 

( Third  Week  . . . 

11.07 

9.15 

1.72 

21.94 

14.15 

.1 

[ First  Week... 

14.95 

9.21 

1.75 

25.91 

15.09 

Period  III  - 

Second  Week. . 

14.82 

9.10 

1.73 

25.65 

14.94 

l 

( Third  Week  . . . 

14.15 

9.16 

1.76 

25.07 

14.59 

Palmer. 

{ 

' First  Week 

*13.02 

9.00 

1.78 

23.80 

14.32 

Period  I •< 

Second  Week. . 

12.86 

8.85 

1.75 

23.46 

14.11 

1 

! Third  Week  . . . 

12.65 

8.74 

1.80 

23.19 

13.96 

( 

’First  Week 

.87 

9.66 

8.77 

1.73 

21.03 

13.13 

Period  II  s 

Second  Week. . 

9.69 

8.73 

1.77 

20.19 

12.61 

| 

1 Third  Week  . . . 

9.69 

8.71 

1.72 

20.12 

12.64 

( 

' First  Week. . . . 

12.35 

8.77 

1.75 

22.87 

13.14 

Period  III  - 

Second  Week. . 

11.64 

8.66 

1.73 

22.03 

12.66 

1 

' Third  Week  . . . 

10.58 

8.71 

1.76 

21.05 

12.21 

* Assuming  same  water  content  as  in  Period  I,  second  week. 


In  addition  to  these  rations  10  grams  (=  i oz.)  of  salt  was 
given  each  cow  in  their  night  feed.  The  amount  of  corn 
fodder  given  in  the  first  week  of  second  period  was  fed 
in  two  feeds  on  the  first  day  of  the  period. 

The  table  shows  that  the  total  dry  matter  fed  during  the 
ensilage  period  was  smaller  than  in  the  corn  fodder  periods, 
as  was  also  the  total  digestible  matter  in  case  of  both  cows. 
It  was  intended  to  make  the  feed  in  the  three  periods  as 
nearly  alike  as  possible,  but  contrary  to  expectation  the  corn 
fodder  was  drier  than  usual,  and  the  dry  matter  as  well  as 
the  total  digestible  matter  was  consequently  increased  in 
the  corn  fodder  periods.  On  account  of  this  fact  it  would 
not  be  fair  to  compare  the  ensilage  period  with  the  corn  fod- 

B 


18 


der  periods  directly.  The  question  will  be,  not  so  much 
whether  or  not  more  milk  and  better  milk  was  produced 
during  the  former,  as,  whether  the  same  quantity  of  diges- 
tible matter  in  the  former  period  produced  more  or  less  milk, 
and  better  or  poorer  milk  than  in  the  latter.  These  points 
will  be  considered  in  their  order.  It  is,  however,  first  neces- 
sary to  see  the  influence  of  the  feed  on  the  quantity  and  the 
quality  of  the  milk.  We  shall  take  up  first 


THE  QUANTITY  OF  THE  MILK  PRODUCED. 

The  milk  yield  of  the  two  cows  fell  off  during  the  whole 
experiment,  due  to  the  natural  depression  on  account  of  the 
advance  of  the  lactation  period.  It  is  a well  known  fact 
that  the  flow  of  milk  is  largest  directly  after  calving  and 
then  gradually  diminishes.  On  the  same  feed  all  the  time, 
and  other  conditions  being  equal  this  decrease  will  be  regu- 
lar. In  this  experiment  the  same  rations  were  fed  during 
the  third  period  as  during  the  first,  in  order  to  note  the  nat- 
ural depression  of  the  milk  yield  for  both  cows.  The  cows 
gave  during  the  first  week  of  the  experiment  on  an  average 
19.75  lbs.  (Topsy),  and  21.97  lbs.  (Palmer)  per  day;  during  the 
last  week  they  gave  18.08  and  18.86  per  day,  respectively,  or 
a decrease  of  .0030  lbs.  per  day  for  Topsy,  and  .0056  lbs.  per 
day  for  Palmer.  Supposing  now  the  cows  had  been  on  the 
same  feed  during  the  whole  experiment,  the  milk  yield  would 
have  fallen  off  gradually  the  quantities  mentioned,  and  we 
would  have  had  figures  as  in  the  table  below  under  the  two 
columns  headed  “Calculated” 

The  two  columns  headed  “ Difference  ” give  how  much 
more  (+)  or  less  (-)  milk  was  actually  produced  than  the 
quantities  calculated  in  the  described  manner. 


19 


AVERAGE  YIELD  OF  MILK  PER  DAY. 
In  Pounds. 


Period. 

Week. 

Topsy. 

Palmer, 

Found. 

Calcu- 

lated. 

Differ- 

ence. 

Found. 

Calcu- 

lated. 

Differ- 

ence. 

( 

1 

19.75 

19.75 

21.97 

21.97 

I 

2 

19.69 

19.54 

+ 1.15 

21.15 

21.58 

— .43 

( 

3 

21.59 

19.33 

+2.27 

21.54 

21.19 

+ .35 

( 

1 

21.29 

19.12 

+2.17 

21.72 

20.80 

+ .92 

II - 

2 

19.17 

18.91 

+ .26 

20.26 

20.41 

— .15 

( 

3 

17.73 

18.70 

— .97 

19.38 

20.02 

— .69 

1 

16.56 

18.48 

—1.92 

18.43 

19.63 

—1.20 

III \ 

2 

18.01 

18.27 

— .26 

18.58 

19.25 

— .67 

\ 

3 

18.06 

18.06 

18.86 

18.86 

We  note  here  the  greatest  increase  in  milk  yield  over  the 
calculated  yield  in  the  third  week  of  the  first  corn  fodder 
period  for  Topsy,  and  in  the  first  week  of  the  ensilage  period 
for  Palmer,  while  the  largest  decrease  comes  in  the  first 
week  after  the  ensilage  period.  In  Plate  No.  I this  same 
observation  is  shown  more  clearly.  The  curves  give  the 
weekly  averages  connected  so  as  to  form  continual  lines;  the 
parallel  lines  represent  the  actual  quantities  given  from  day 
to  day  in  kilograms;  a little  study  of  the  plate  will  make  it 
understood  at  once.*  We  observe  from  the  run  of  the  curves 
that  the  milk  flow  was  at  a maximum  a little  after  the  corn 
fodder  feeding  had  been  discontinued,  and  at  a minimum 
some  days  after  the  ensilage  feeding  was  through,  and  that 
there  is  in  both  cases  a rising  tendency  during  the  third 
period. 

If  we  now  ignore  the  first  week  of  each  period  and  take 
the  mean  of  each  of  the  two  other  weeks  we  shall  get  the 
following  average  milk  yield,  for  this  part  of  each  period: 

* The  units  used  on  the  plates  are  the  ones  in  which  the  weighings  were 
taken;  as  the  curves  and  the  variations  will  show  in  the  same  manner 
whatever  unit  be  chosen,  the  kilograms  and  grams  were  not  converted 
into  pounds,  as  they  have  been  in  all  tables  and  in  the  text  generally.  One 
kilogram  equals  2.2  pounds. 


20 


AVERAGE  MILK  YIELD  — LAST  TWO  WEEKS. 


Topsy. 

Palmer. 

Found. 

Calcu- 

lated. 

Differ- 

ence. 

Found. 

Calcu- 
late l . 

Differ- 

ence. 

Period  I 

lbs. 

20.64 

18.45 

18.04 

lbs. 

lbs. 

lbs. 

21.85 

19.80 

18.72 

lbs. 

lbs. 

Period  II 

Period  III 

19.84 

-.89 

20.04 

-.24 

This  table  shows  that  the  quantity  of  milk  given  de- 
creased .89  and  .24  lbs.  per  day,  respectively,  during  the  ensil- 
age period.  The  reason  for  this  decrease  we  shall  be  better 
prepared  to  discuss  when  a few  more  points  have  been  con- 
sidered. It  ought  to  be  remarked,  perhaps,  that  the  quan- 
tities of  milk  given  in  the  above  tables  are  the  ones  actually 
found;  no  allowance  has  been  made  for  the  greater  or 
smaller  percentage  of  total  solids  in  the  milk  in  the  different 
periods,  which  may  have  thus  made  the  milk  produced  in 
one  period  more  valuable  than  the  milk  produced  in  an- 
other. 

We  shall  investigate  this  nearer,  when  we  come  to  study 
the  total  production  of  milk  solids,  fat  and  protein  in  dif- 
ferent periods. 

THE  QUALITY  OF  THE  MILK  PRODUCED. 

As  is  well  known,  the  milk  is  not  a fixed,  unchangeable 
compound,  but  a secretion  different  for  each  cow  and  vary- 
ing with  the  same  cow  from  milking  to  milking.  Of  the 
constituents  of  milk,  the  total  solids  (that  is,  what  is  left 
when  the  water  of  the  milk  has  been  taken  away)  vary  the 
most  in  absolute  percentages,  and  next  to  this  comes  the 
milk  fat. 

As  before  stated,  the  percentage  of  ash  was  determined 
during  the  third  week  of  each  period,  and  with  the  ash  we 
also  get  the  sugar  in  the  milk,  the  difference  between  the 
milk  solids  and  the  fat,  casein  and  ash  together  represent- 


AO  _ 
9 _ 
$- 
r. 

*■_ 
^ _ 
3_ 

a. 


Q?Wl  cfc&  3bz\cb  faw\XxU^  cP^xXoS  ’(&>pn  cS&W  cP#ZU&' 


21 


ing  the  sugar.  The  specific  gravity  of  the  samples  of  milk 
was  determined  ever y day  and  the  weekly  averages  are 
also  given  below. 

AVERAGE  COMPOSITION  OF  THE  MILK. 


Period. 

Topsy. 

Week. 

Sp.  Gr. 

Solids. 

Fat. 

Casein. 

Sugar. 

Ash. 

per  ct. 

per  ct. 

per  ct. 

per  ct. 

per  ct. 

( 

1 

1.0331 

13.34 

4.29 

3.18 

I - 

2 

.0323 

13.07 

3.70 

3.23 

( 

2 

.0317 

13.40 

3.94 

3.09 

5.58 

.78 

( 

1 

.0313 

13.34 

4.12 

3.08 

II - 

2 

,0330 

13.39 

4.33 

3.12 

1 

3 

.0319 

13.43 

4.34 

3.06 

5.28 

.75 

1 

.0320 

13.92 

4.59 

3.15 

III \ 

2 

.0316 

13.66 

4.38 

3.25 

l 

3 

.0321 

13.82 

4.38 

3.01* 

5.64 

.79 

Palmer. 


1 

1.0319 

13.88 

4.79 

2.98* 

I \ 

2 

.0330 

14.19 

4.68 

3.22 

( 

3 

.0326 

14.46 

4.76 

3.18 

5.73 

.79 

1.... 

.0326 

14.31 

4.82 

3.13 

II \ 

2 

.0341 

14.00 

4.78 

3.16 

l 

3 

.0331 

14.39 

4.91 

3.17 

5.52 

.79 

1 

.0337 

14.94 

4.89 

3.36 

III \ 

2 

.0326 

14.88 

5.24 

3.39 

1 

3 

.0330 

14.85 

5.18 

3.30 

5.59 

.78 

♦Probably  too  low. 


In  regard  to  the  milk  solids  of  the  milk  there  was  a grad- 
ual increase  during  the  whole  experiment;  as  far  as  Topsy 
is  concerned  this  increase  goes  on  uninterupted,  a small  de- 
crease during  the  last  period  only  excepted;  Palmer’s  milk 
decreased  in  milk  solids  about  half  a per  cent,  during  the 
ensilage  period  and  from  there  rose  very  noticeably.  As 
for  the  percentage  of  fat  in  the  milk,  there  was  also  a grad- 
ual increase  in  case  of  both  cows,  Topsy  having  a decrease 
during  the  latter  part  of  the  first  period  and  from  there  ris- 


22 


ing  continually;  Palmer,  on  the  other  hand,  keeping  at  about 
the  same  level  till  the  latter  part  of  the  ensilage  period,  from 
where  there  is  then  an  increased  percentage.  We  readily 
see  these  changes  in  the  composition  of  the  milk  during  the 
experiment  from  the  average  figures  in  the  above  table. 

If  we  only  consider  the  two  last  weeks  of  each  period  the 
specific  influence  of  the  ensilage  feeding  will  become  more 
apparent;  as  we  did  before  we  put  the  mean  of  the  two  com 
fodder  periods  against  the  ensilage  period. 


COMPOSITION  OF  MILK. — LAST  TWO  WEEKS. 


Topsy. 


Specific  Gravity. 

Total  Solids. 

Milk  Fat. 

Casein. 

Fonnd. 

Calculated. 

i 

Difference. 

Found. 

Calculated. 

i 

Difference. 

Found. 

Calculated. 

| Difference. 

Found. 

Calculated. 

Difference. 

1.0320 

1.0324 

1.0319 

1.0320 

+ .0004 

p.  ct. 
13.23 
13.41 
13.75 

p.  ct. 
13*49 

p.  ct. 
-*.08 

p.ct 

3.82 

4.34 

4.38 

p.ct. 

4M0 

p.  ct. 
+ !24 

p.ct. 

3.16 

3.09 

3.12 

p.ct. 
3*.  14 

p.  ct. 
—‘.05 

Palmer. 


I... . 

1.0328 

14.34 

4.72 

3.20 

11.. . 

111.. 

1.0336 

1.0328 

1.0328 

4-. 0008 

14.19 

14.87 

14.61 

-.42 

4.84 

5.21 

4 ”.97 

-M3 

3.16 

3.35 

3.28 

-M2 

The  specific  gravity  of  the  milk  in  both  cases  increased 
the  total  solids  and  casein,  on  the  other  hand,  decreased  dur- 
ing the  ensilage  period.  As  for  the  percentage  of  fat  in  the 
milk,  it  increased  .24  per  cent,  with  Topsy  and  decreased  .13 
per  cent,  with  Palmer.  Of  earlier  experiments  in  regard  to 
the  influence  of  ensilage  feeding  on  the  composition  of  milk 
a majority  have  shown  that  the  milk  became  richer  in  fat 
on  ensilage  feeding.  The  conflicting  results  as  to  this  point 
must  be  ascribed  to  a most  important  factor,  viz.:  the  indi- 
viduality of  the  cow.  In  this  experiment,  Topsy  was  able 


23 


to  improve  her  milk  on  the  ensilage  feed,  while  Palmer,  al- 
though improving  her  milk  slightly  as  to  percentage  of  fat, 
did  not  do  so  as  much  as  on  the  subsequent  corn  fodder  feed. 

Also  the  amount  of  sugar  in  the  milk  (taken  by  differ- 
ence) decreased  on  the  ensilage,  .33  per  cent,  and  .14  per  cent., 
respectively.  We  shall  see  later  what  influence  these 
changes  have  had  on  the  results  obtained  by  the  churn  (p.  32.). 

AVERAGE  DAILY  PRODUCTION. 

We  have  in  the  preceding  seen  the  effect  of  the  different 
rations  on  the  quantity  and  the  quality  of  the  milk.  An- 
other point  which  presents  itself  for  consideration  is,  whether 
or  not  the  total  quantity  of  the  constituents  of  the  milk  was 
the  same  during  the  different  periods.  We  find  the  total 
production  of  milk  solids,  for  instance,  by  multiplying  the 
quantity  of  milk  which  the  cow  gave  on  a certain  day  by  the 
percentage  of  milk  solids  found  by  chemical  analyses.  The 
following  table  gives  the  results  of  these  computations;  the 
figures  represent  the  weekly  averages  for  the  total  solids,  fat 
and  casein  during  each  week  of  the  experiment. 


TOTAL  DAILY  PRODUCTION  IN  POUNDS. — WEEKLY  AVERAGES. 


Period. 

Week. 

Topsy. 

Palmer. 

Milk 

solids. 

Milk 

fat. 

Casein. 

Milk. 

solids. 

Milk 

fat. 

Casein. 

( 

1 

2.59 

.849 

.628 

3.05 

1.046 

.655 

I - 

2 

2.58 

.728 

.608 

3.02 

.997 

.684 

( 

3 

2.90 

.852 

.667 

3.15 

1.022 

.681 

l 

1 

2.85 

.884 

.654 

3.11 

1.047 

.675 

II - 

2 

2.57 

.831 

.598 

2.84 

.964 

.638 

i 

3 

2.38 

.709 

.540 

2.78 

.950 

.609 

1 

2.30 

.759 

.522 

2.76 

.905 

.625 

HI \ 

2 

2.46 

.788 

.584 

2.77 

.978 

.629 

( 

3 

2.52 

.794 

.542 

2.80 

.975 

.622 

The  variations  of  the  quantities  produced  of  milk  solids, 
milk  fat,  and  casein  from  week  to  week,  are  seen  from  the 
above  table.  Graphically  the  same  is  represented  on  plate 


24 


No.  II  (milk  solids)  and  plate  No.  Ill  (milk  f^).  By  com- 
paring the  curves  for  milk  solids  for  both  cows  with  the  cor- 
responding curves  for  total  milk  (plate  I)  it  will  be  observed 
that  the  general  run  of  these  curves  is  strictly  similar  (a 
fact  which  would  be  shown  more  plainly  if  a larger  scale 
could  have  been  used  in  representing  the  results). 

This  similarity  between  the  total  production  of  milk  solids 
and  the  milk  yield  naturally  shows  that  although  the  milk 
produced  varied  somewhat  in  composition,  still  for  all  prac- 
tical purposes  the  variations  in  the  quantities  of  milk  yield 
give  at  the  same  time  approximately  the  value  of  the  milk 
product. 

Taking  only  the  last  two  weeks  of  each  period  into  con- 
sideration we  shall  get  average  figures  which  can  be  more 
easily  compared  than  the  above.  We  take  the  mean  of  the 
data  for  these  last  two  weeks  of  each  period  as  represent- 
ing the  average  for  the  period. 

TOTAL  DAILY  PRODUCTION  IN  POUNDS. — LAST  TWO  WEEKS. 


Topsy. 


Period . 

Milk  solids. 

Milk  fat. 

Casein. 

73 

a 

a 

O 

ft 

73 

© 

-t-> 

3 

o 

13 

o 

© 

o 

a 

© 

u 

© 

fa 

3 

73 

a 

a 

ft 

73 

© 

3 

o 

13 

o 

© 

o 

a 

© 

,© 

3 

73 

a 

a 

o 

ft 

73* 
. © 

3 

o 

13 

o 

© 

© 

a 

© 

.© 

fa 

3 

I 

2.74 

2.48 

2.49 

.790 

.770 

.791 

.638 

.569 

.563 

II...  

2.62 

-.14 

.791 

— .02i 

.601 

— .032 

Ill 

Palmer. 

I 

3.09 

2.81 

2.79 

1.010 

.957 

.977 

.683 

.624 

.626 

II 

2.94 

— .13 

.994 

— .037 

.655 

-.031 

Ill 

The  tables  show  a decreased  production  of  milk  solids, 
milk  fat  and  casein  during  the  ensilage  period,  viz.:  milk 


c/£p. 

. 3 
>% 

A 


sfap&y  — 0 %>a(A  cktT  /p&i  (Da/tj.  cP/a^E  d , 


an 


(kUu\  1 


A 


Is 


2% 


jjcw..S 


F3T 


(3wPl  <&OM4V  $?MA\£cuy  Ste  xicS  (St^X/W  ffioSbeV  ePjlivt> 


<3kp. 

J- 

J- 

M _ 
J-, 
S- 
.1  - 

0i>c7u 


cf2i£nw  — cfet/t  (Qay.  cB. 


5? 


JK 


15 


5? 


/V. 


fr*5 


m 


(S&tvi  ckobitez  c&tioh  £>nbi(acjc  cfhuot)  Sotw  l^iW  cPevivb 


TO 

_/ 


A.  — Total  Fat  in  Milk  from  both  cows. 

B.  — Total  Fat  recovered  in  Butter. 


25 


solids,  .14  lbs.,  for  Topsy,  and  .13  lbs.  for  Palmer;  milk  fat, 
.021  lbs.  and  .037  lbs.,  respectively;  and  casein,  .032  lbs.  and 
.031  lbs.,  respectively.  As  we  have  seen  before  (p.  17),  the 
total  digestible  matter  which  the  cows  ate  during  the  ensi- 
lage period  was  less  than  that  eaten  during  the  corn  fodder 
periods  (Palmer  in  third  period,  third  week  excepted).  This 
makes  it  necessary  for  us  to  investigate  how  much  was  pro- 
duced by  the  cows  by  one  pound  of  digestible  matter  in  the 
different  periods.  We  shall  consider  only  the  averages  for 
each  period,  as  before  calculated  for  the  last  two  weeks. 


ONE  POUND  OF  DIGESTIBLE  MATTER  PRODUCED 
Daily  averages  during  each  period  ( only  last  two  weeks  considered ). 


Period. 

Topsy. 

Palmer. 

Milk. 

Milk 

solids. 

Milk 

fat. 

Casein. 

Milk. 

Milk 

solids. 

Milk 

fat. 

Casein. 

lbs. 

lbs. 

lbs. 

lbs. 

lbs. 

lbs. 

lbs. 

lbs. 

I 

1.366 

.182 

.052 

.042 

1.521 

.220 

.072 

.049 

II 

1.303 

.175 

.055 

.040 

1.620 

.223 

.076 

.050 

Ill 

1.222 

.169 

.054 

.038 

1.507 

.224 

.079 

.051 

Taking  the  mean  of  the  figures  for  first  and  third  period 
(the  corn  fodder  periods)  and  comparing  the  quantities  thus 
found  with  the  figures  for  the  ensilage  period  (second  period), 
we  find  how  much  more  or  less  was  produced  by  one  pound 
of  digestible  matter  during  the  ensilage  period  than  during 
the  corn  fodder  periods. 


Greater  (+)  or  smaller  (— ) Production  for  every  lb.  of  Digestible  Matter 
during  the  Ensilage  Period  than  Average  of  the  two  Corn  Fodder 
Periods. 


Topsy. 

Palmer. 

Milk. 

Milk 

solids. 

Milk 

fat. 

Casein. 

Milk. 

Milk 

solids. 

Milk 

fat. 

Casein. 

lbs. 
+ .005 

Its. 
— .C0i 

lbs. 
+ .002 

lbs. 

0 

lbs. 
+ .101 

lbs. 
+ .001 

lbs. 

0 

lbs. 

0 

26 


The  figures  in  this  table  may  be  explained,  as  follows: 
with  Topsy,  for  instance,  in  the  ensilage  period  each  pound 
of  digestible  matter  produced  .005  lbs.=l-200  lbs.  more  milk, 
.001  lbs.  less  milk  solids  and  .002  Ibs/more  of  milk  fat,  while 
the  quantity  of  casein  produced  was  the  same  in  the  two 
cases.  If  we  now  remember  that  Topsy  each  day  received 
about  fifteen  pounds  of  digestible  food  materials,  the  in- 
crease in  milk  would  amount  to  .075  lbs.  per  day,  the  de- 
crease of  milk  solids  would  be  .015  lbs.  per  day,  and  the  in- 
crease of  fat  .03  lbs.  per  day;  considering  the  quantity  of 
milk  solids  produced  as  representing  the  valuable  part'of 
the  milk  for  general  dairy  purposes,  the  decrease  for  Topsy 
would  amount  to  one-fourth  of  one  ounce  (21-100  oz.)  per 
day,  while  Palmer  would  have  a similar  increase.  These 
changes  are  too  slight  to  have  any  practical  importance. 

The  figures  given  in  the  above  table  would  therefore  seem 
to  justify  the  conclusion  that  the  nutritive  effect  of  the  en- 
silage ration  was  the  same  as  that  of  the  corn  fodder  rations. 
The  influence  of  the  ensilage  ration  is  shown  to  be  slightly 
to  increase  the  quantity  of  milk  given  without  increasing 
the  total  solids  of  the  milk,  neither  proportionally  (Palmer), 
nor  absolutely  (Topsy).  In  other  words,  its  influence  was  to 
make  the  milk  somewhat  more  watery. 

BUTTER  PRODUCED. 

The  milk  from  both  cows  was  set  in  a Cooley  can  and  sub- 
merged in  ice  water,  each  milking  by  itself.  The  cream 
■was  drawn  off  after  twelve  hours.  It  was  properly  cured 
and  afterwards  churned,  taking  three  and  a half  days’  mess 
into  each  churning.  As  this  part  of  the  experiment  was 
thought  of  no  considerable  importance  at  the  beginning  of 
the  experiment,  the  milk  was  not  set  separately,  nor  was  the 
butter  produced  subjected  to  chemical  analysis.  The  butter 
was  salted  and  well  worked  before  being  weighed. 

The  total  amount  of  butter  produced  during  the  experi- 


ment was: 

Period  I (Corn  Fodder) ...  40.38  lbs. 

Period  II  (Ensilage) 38.63  lbs. 

Period  III  (Corn  Fodder) 33.62  lbs. 


27 


The  mean  between  the  first  and  third  periods  will  be  37.00 
lbs.,  or  1.63  lbs.  less  than  was  actually  produced  during  the 
ensilage  period. 

If  we  take  into  account  the  last  two  weeks  of  each  period 
and  calculate  the  number  of  pounds  of  milk  which  was  re- 
quired to  make  one  pound  of  butter  we  get  the  following: 

ONE  POUND  OF  BUTTER  PRODUCED  FROM 


Period  I 21.66  lbs.  of  milk. 

Period  II 20.43  lbs.  of  milk. 

Period  III 23.42  lbs.  of  milk. 


The  average  of  first  and  third  periods  is  22.54  lbs.,  or  2.11 
lbs.  more  than  the  number  of  pounds  which  was  required  to 
make  one  pound  of  butter  during  the  ensilage  period;  on 
account  of  the  ensilage  feed  one  pound  of  butter  was  con- 
sequently produced  from  2.11  lbs.  of  milk  less  than  would 
have  been  the  case  if  corn  fodder  had  been  fed  during  the 
period. 

This  is  a result  that  might  seem  contrary  to  what  we 
found  before  in  regard  to  the  quality  of  milk  produced  and 
the  total  production  of  milk  fat.  We  found  a decrease  in 
the  quantity  of  milk  given,  a decrease  in  the  per  cent,  of 
milk  fat  given  in  one  case,  a smaller  increase  in  the  other, 
and  a decrease  in  both  cases,  as  regards  the  total  production 
of  milk  fat.  Under  these  circumstances,  how  could  more 
butter  be  produced  during  the  ensilage  period  than  would 
have  been  produced  had  the  corn  fodder  period  been  con- 
tinued throughout  the  experiment?  The  answer  lies  in  the 
fact  that  only  a portion  of  the  fat  present  in  the  milk  is  re- 
covered in  the  butter.  The  churnability  of  the  milk  fat 
varies,  and  seems  to  be  influenced  mainly  by  the  food  given 
the  cow. 

By  the  churnability  of  the  fat  we  understand  the  percent- 
age of  milk  fat  which  is  churned  out  and  reappears  in  the 
butter.  We  shall  see  in  the  following  table  the  churnabil- 
ity of  the  fat  in  the  different  periods  of  this  experiment. 
For  this  purpose  we  assume  the  butter  to  contain,  on  an  av- 
erage, 85  per  cent,  of  fat  since  it  was  not  analyzed.  As  we 
want  to  find  out  the  influence  of  the  rations  in  each  period 


28 


we  have  to  throw  out  the  first  week  of  each  period,  the  milk 
given  during  this  week  being  influenced,  doubtless,  by  the 
feed  in  the  preceding  period.  If  we  then  only  consider  the 
last  two  weeks  of  each  period  we  have 

CHURN  ABILITY  OF  MILK  FAT. 


From  Milk  of  Both  Cows. 


Period. 

Butter. 

Butter  fat. 
(85  per  ct.) 

Milk  fat. 

Churned  out 

lbs. 

lbs. 

lbs. 

Per  cent. 

r 

6.50 

1 

I .... 

... 

1 

7.00 

6.75 

6.88 

l. 

J 

..23.06 

25.19 

91,54 

f 

7.00 

i 

II  ... 

i 

6.50 

7.25 

l # 

..22.53 

24.18 

93.19 

i 

5.75 

J 

r 

5.75 

1 

Ill  .. 

..A 

i 

5.56 

5.62 

l 

1 * 

..19.12 

24.75 

77.23 

5.56 

i 

J 

The  average  churnability  of  the  milk  fat  for  the  first  pe- 
riod of  the  experiment  was  91.54  per  cent.,  on  the  assumption 
that  the  butter  contained  85  per  cent,  fat;  in  other  words,  of 
the  fat  which  the  cows  produced  in  their  milk  during  this 
period,  91.54  lbs.  out  of  every  100  pounds  of  fat  in  the  milk 
was  recovered  in  the  butter;  in  the  second  corn  fodder  pe- 
riod, 77.23  per  cent,  was  churned  out;  the  mean  of  these  two 
figures,  84.39  per  cent.,  we  then  take  as  the  churnability  of 
the  milk  fat  on  the  corn  fodder  feeding.  On  the  ensilage 
feeding,  93.19  per  cent,  (see  above  table)  was  churned  out,  or 
8.80  per  cent.  more. 

On  Plate  III  C,  is  represented  "graphically  the  average 
quantities  of  milk  fat  in  both  cows’  milk  (A),  and  also  the 
quantities  of  fat  which  were  recovered  in  the  butter  (B);  the 
curves  connecting  the  weekly  averages  show  the  general 
run  of  the  churnability  of  the  milk  fat.  The  parts  of  the 
lines  falling  between  the  curves  represent  the  quantities  of 


29 


fat  which  are  lost  in  the  skim  milk  and  the  butter  milk.  The 
more  the  curves  approach  one  another  the  less  waste;  the 
greater  waste  came  after  the  corn  fodder  feeding  had  been 
discontinued,  and  the  smaller  at  the  end  of  the  ensilage  pe- 
riod. 

If  we  take  only  the  last  week  of  each  period  into  consid- 
eration, the  following  results  were  obtained: 


Butter. 

Butter 

fat. 

Milk 

fat. 

Churn’d 

out. 

Aver- 

age. 

Differ- 

ence. 

Period  I, 

lbs. 

13.63 

13.00 

11.18 

lbs. 

11.59 

11.05 

9.50 

lbs. 

13.12 

11.61 

12.38 

pr  cent. 
88.35 
95.15 
76.74 

pr  cent. 

pr  cent. 

Period  II 

82.45 

+ 12.60 

Period  III 

The  difference  in  the  churning  quality  of  the  milk  is  here 
12.60  per  cent,  in  favor  of  the  milk  from  the  ensilage  period. 
This  result  shows  a greater  improvement  of  the  milk,  as 
regards  this  point,  than  is  shown  by  consideration  of  the 
data  from  the  last  two  weeks  of  each  period.  This  may  be 
only  accidental  or  it  may  tend  to  show  that  the  feed  influ- 
ences the  churnability  of  the  milk  fat  even  after  the  lapse 
of  more  than  a week.  We  know  too  little  yet  about  this 
question  to  say  which  is  more  likely  to  be  the  case. 

Considered  either  way  it  is  a very  striking  result.  If  con- 
firmed by  subsequent  experiments  it  tells  us  that  one  tenth 
part  more  of  the  fat  in  milk  is  recovered  on  ensilage  feed- 
ing than  on  corn  fodder  feeding.  It  is  possible,  but  by  no 
means  proven  by  this  one  experiment,  that  this  difference  in 
the  churnability  of  the  milk  fat  is  caused  by  the  advanta- 
geous influence  of  succulent  feed  on  milk.  If  this  is  the 
case,  it  will  explain  the  many  reports  of  increased  butter 
production  on  ensilage  feed.  Practical  farmers  have  re- 
ported results  from  feeding  ensilage  to  their  dairy  cattle, 
testifying  in  hundreds  of  cases  that  they  got  an  increase  in 
the  butter  produced  from  the  herd.  At  the  same  time  scien- 
tists in  careful  and,  as  far  as  they  go,  trustworthy  experi- 
ments have  shown  that  the  milk  produced  by  ensilage  did 
not  change  in  composition,  or  only  slightly,  as  regards  the 
percentage  of  fat  in  the  milk.  This  seeming  contradiction 


30 


evidently  is  accounted  for  by  the  fact  brought  forward  in 
the  above,  that  the  milk  fat  of  the  ensilage  milk  is  more 
easily  churned  out. 

CHURN  ABILITY  OF  MILK  FAT. 

This  question  of  the  churning  qualit}^  of  milk  has  been 
studied  by  but  few  experimenters.  As  it  is  a very  important 
point  we  shall  here  consider  it  a little  in  detail. 

Prof.  Henry  E.  Alvord  gives  some  data  bearing  on  this 
question  which  we  reproduce  below.*  For  the  sake  of  uni- 
formity we  will  calculate  the  results  on  the  percentage  of 
fat  reappearing  in  the  butter,  instead  of  basing  the  calcula- 
tions on  the  weight  of  butter  itself.  As  before,  we  assume 
that  the  butter  contained  85  per  cent,  of  fat. 

The  trials  were  made  at  Houghton  farm;  the  first  table 
below  gives  the  average  products  of  the  same  lot  of  cows  fed 
differently  in  different  months;  the  second  table  gives  the 
results  of  a similar  trial  with  a single  cow  “ selected  for  the 
apparent  uniformity  of  her  product,  and  of  her  health,  ap- 
petite, and  general  condition.” 

Table  I . 


Found  in  100  lbs.  of  milk. 

Dry  fed  — hay 
and  grain  in 
April. 

Fed  com  ensil- 
age and  grain 
in  March. 

On  good  pas- 
turage alone 
in  May. 

Actual  fat  in  milk 

5. 12  lbs. 

4.87  lbs. 

4.13  lbs. 

Butter  fat  obtained 

4.21  lbs. 

3.71  lbs. 

3.58  lbs. 

P.  ct.  of  fat  churned  out 

82.17  p.  ct. 

84.80  p.  ct. 

86.64  p.  ct. 

Table  II. 


Trial  With  Single  Cow. 


Found  in  100  lbs.  of 
milk. 

Fed  hay  and 
grain  in 
March. 

Fed  corn  en- 
silage and 
grain  in 
March. 

Fed  corn  en 
silage  alone 
in  April. 

Fed  on  grass 
alone  — pas- 
turage in 
May. 

Actual  fat  in  milk 

4.76  lbs. 

4.42  lbs. 

3.93  lbs. 

4.64  lbs. 

Butter  fat  obtained  . . . 

3.60  lbs. 

3.73  lbs. 

3.36  lbs. 

4.04  lbs. 

P.  ct.  of  fat  churned  out 

75.53 p.  ct. 

84.43  p.  ct. 

85.43 p.  ct. 

87.02  p.  ct. 

* Proceedings  of  the  Society  for  Prom,  of  Agr.  Science,  1883-84,  pp.  23-24, 


31 


These  results  are  in  the  same  direction  as  those  obtained  in 
the  experiment  under  discussion;  there  is  a marked  improve- 
ment in  the  churning  quality  of  the  milk,  especially  when 
we  consider  the  figures  from  a single  cow  in  table  II,  where 
there  is  an  extreme  difference  of  11.49  per  cent,  between  the 
milk  from  dry  feed  and  from  succulent  feed.  Prof.  Alvord 
says  the  results  indicate  that  “ the  greater  proportion  of 
succulent  food,  the  more  completely  the  churn  will  do  its 
work.” 

Experiments  by  Dr.  E.  Lewis  Sturtevant  made  at  the  New 
York  Experiment  Station,  in  1883,  partly  substantiate  these 
results.*  Four  cows  were  used  in  this  experiment,  and  the 
feed  was  changed  about  ev'ery  week.  Only  the  most  neces- 
sary data  are  given  below;  also  here  85  per  cent,  is  assumed 
as  the  fat  content  of  the  butter.  The  figures  are  rearranged 
for  our  purpose;  they  represent  the  daily  averages  for  last 
three  days  of  each  period. 


Period. 

Feed. 

Milk  fat. 

Butter 

fat. 

Churn’d 

out. 

I 

Hay,  corn,  meal,  bran 

oz. 

46.00 

oz. 

38.82 

per  ct. 
84.18 

II 

Hay,  bran 

48.54 

39.42 

8L.21 

Ill 

Hay,  gluten  meal 

47.23 

30.17 

63.89 

IV 

Hay,  corn  meal 

40.72 

30.39 

74.63 

V 

Corn  meal,  ensilage 

39.36 

25.86 

65.69 

vi..::::: ::: 

Ensilage 

27.64 

22.46 

81.25 

VII 

Hay,  coin  meal,  bran 

39.92 

30.40 

76.14 

The  feed  in  the  first  period  gave  the  best  results  as  to  the 
amount  of  butter  produced,  and  next  to  this  feed,  the  en- 
silage period  comes;  the  transition  period,  ISTo.  V,  on  the 
other  hand,  gave  the  lowest  results  of  all.  The  percentage 
churned  out  naturally  decreases  somewhat  on  account  of 
of  the  advancing  lactation  period.  It  is  a question,  how 
ever,  if  the  experiment  was  not  divided  up  into  too  short 
periods,  and  if  the  influence  of  the  feed  in  one  period  did 
not  stretch  over  any  longer  time  than  just  the  three  or  four 
days  of  the  following  period  which  was  here  left  out  of  con- 
sideration. If  this  was  the  case,  and  it  would  be  strange  if 


* Annual  Report  N.  Y.  Agr.  Exp.  Station,  1883,  pp.  95-116. 


32 


it  was  not,  then  the  figures  in  the  preceding  table  can  be 
taken  only  as  representing  approximately  the  effect  of  the 
various  foods  on  the  butter  yield.  Dr.  Sturtevant  concludes 
from  his  experiment, — a conclusion  which  is  sustained  by 
all  data  that  I have  been  able  to  gather  on  this  question, 
that  “ the  butter  which  may  be  obtained  from  the  milk  seems 
more  dependent  upon  the  character  of,  than  upon  the  compo- 
sition of  the  foody 

A preliminary,  not  yet  published,  experiment  on  Green  vs. 
dried  grass  for  milk,  carried  on  at  this  Station  last  year  by 
Dr.  H.  P.  Armsby,  gave  results  going  in  this  same  direction. 
In  this  case  the  percentage  of  fat  in  the  butter  was  deter- 
mined directly. 

Only  one  cow  was  experimented  on;  corresponding  quan- 
tities of  green  and  of  dried  grass  were  fed,  and  in  addition, 
the  same  quantity  of  bran.  The  following  table  gives  the 
average  production  per  day: 


Date. 

Feed. 

Milk 

fat. 

Butter 

fat. 

Churn’d 

out. 

lbs. 

lbs. 

Per  ct. 

June  9-15,  1887 

Green  grass  and  bran 

.939 

.856 

91.16 

June  23-29,  1887 

Dried  grass  and  bran 

1.003 

.817 

81.37 

This  shows  a difference  of  nearly  10  per  cent,  in  churna- 
bility  of  the  milk  fat  in  favor  of  the  milk  from  the  succu- 
lent feed.* 

If  we  were  to  seek  an  explanation  of  the  peculiarity 
shown  by  these  different  experiments  we  might  find  such  a 
one  in  conditions  similar  to  those  which  prevailed  in  the  ex- 
periment now  under  discussion. 

Referring  to  the  table  on  p.  22,  we  remember  that  the  milk 
decreased  in  percentage  of  total  solids,  casein,  and  milk  sugar, 
during  the  ensilage  period.  How  this  will  affect  the  churn- 
ability  of  the  milk  fat  is  indicated,  if  not  yet  definitely  set- 
tled, by  the  investigations  in  regard  to  the  viscosity  of  milk 
by  Dr.  S.  M.  Babcock,  Chief  Chemist  of  this  Experiment 
Station,  late  Chemist  to  New  York  Agricultural  Experiment 
Station.  Dr.  Babcock  has  called  attention  to  the  fact  that 


* See  also,  Dr.  W.  Fleisc liman,  Das  Molkereiwesen,  1876,  p.  597. 


33 


the  viscosity  of  the  milk  has  a decisive  influence  on  the 
work  done  by  the  churn;f  the  more  viscous  the  milk  the  less 
butter  is  produced.  The  total  solids  and  the  other  constitu- 
ents of  milk  influence  the  milk  in  a different  way,  the 
casein  and  still  more  the  albumen  of  the  milk  increasing  its 
viscosity  more  than  the  other  constituents,  and  as  a conse- 
quence decreasing  the  churning  quality  of  the  milk.  Al- 
though the  viscosity  of  the  milk  was  not  determined  in  the 
experiment,  it  is  safe  to  assume  that  it  would  have  been  less 
during  the  ensilage  period  than  in  the  other  periods,  for  the 
reasons  given  above;  and  consequently  the  butter  fat  could 
be  churned  out  better.  This  may  seem  rather  hypothetical 
with  our  present  knowledge  of  this  question,  but  further  ex- 
periments will  have  to  decide  whether  or  not  the  conclu- 
sions drawn  above  are  correct. 

DIGESTIBILITY  OF  RATIONS  FED. 

As  stated  in  the  introduction  to  this  discussion  the  digest- 
ibility of  the  different  rations  was  determined  during  the 
third  week  of  each  period.  We  shall  here  give  the  detailed 
results  of  one  cow  from  a single  period  to  show  the  method 
of  determining  the  digestibility  of  a ration,  and  as  to  the 
rest,  confine  ourselves  to  give  directly  the  digestibility  co- 
efficients found  for  the  rations.  Below  will  be  found  the 
chemical  composition  of  the  six  samples  of  dung  which  were 
sampled  during  the  experiment: 


Composition  of  Samples  of  Dung. 


Name  of 
Cow. 

Water. 

Dry  matter. 

100  Lbs.  Dry  Matter  Contained 

Ash. 

Ether 

extr. 

Crude 

fiber. 

Protein. 

N.-free 

extract 

Album- 

inoids. 

Amides. 

Topsy— 

per  ct. 

per  ct. 

per  ct. 

perct. 

per  ct. 

per  ct. 

per  ct. 

per  ct. 

per  ct. 

1st  period . . 

83.08 

16.92 

12.16 

3.07 

24.43 

11.73 

48.61 

9.75 

1.98 

2d  period . . 

83.46 

16.54 

15.89 

2.49 

23.94 

11.76 

45.92 

9.85 

1.91 

3d  period . . 

82.80 

17.20 

11.81 

2.33 

23.78 

11.83 

50.25 

9.90 

1.93 

Palmer— 

1st  period. . 

83.35 

16.65 

13.04 

2.34 

22.94 

11.98 

49.70 

9.75 

2.23 

2d  period . . 

83.93 

16.07 

16.13 

3.11 

22.60 

11.47 

46.69 

10.09 

1.38 

3d  period . . 

82.52 

17.48 

12.66 

2.50 

22.41 

11.76 

50.67 

9.66 

2.10 

f Fifth  Annual  Report  N.  Y.  Agr.  Exp,  Station,  pp.  323-330. 
C 


34 


DIGESTIBILITY  OF  TOPSY’S  RATION,  FIRST  PERIOD. 


Dry  matter. 

Organic 

matter. 

Ether 

extract. 

Crude 

fiber. 

Protein. 

Carbhy- 

drates 

Albu- 

minoids. 

Amides . 

FED. 

lbs. 

lbs. 

lbs. 

lbs. 

lbs. 

lbs. 

lbs. 

lbs. 

18.00  lbs,  of  corn 

fodder 

14.64 

13.88 

.26 

3.95 

1.41 

8.26 

1.05 

.36 

10.50  lbs.  of  bran  . . . 

9.18 

8.55 

.45 

1.07 

1.79 

5.24 

1.19 

.60 

2.00  lbs.  of  corn 

meal 

.02  lbs  of  salt 

1.80 

.02 

1.78 

.08 

.05 

.19 

1.46 

.16 

.03 

Total 

25.64 

24.21 

.79 

5.07 

3.39 

14.96 

2.40 

.99 

EXCRETED. 

62.31  lbs.  of  dung.. . 

10.54 

9.26 

.32 

2.57 

1 . 24* 

5.13 

1.03 

.21 

DIGESTED. 

15.10 

14.95 

.47 

2.50 

2.77 

9.83 

1.37 

00 

£- 

Nutritive  ratio,  1 :6.2 . 

Percent,  digested.. 

58.9 

61.8 

59.5 

49.3 

81.7 

65.7 

57.1 

78.8 

*50p9rcent.  or  0.62  lbs.  was  re-digested  by  a pepsin-pancreas  solution;  the  percentage 
of  digestible  protein  has  been  corrected  for  this  amount.  No  attempt  has  been  made  to 
make  a similar  correction  for  the  digestibility  co-efficients  cf  either  albuminoids  or  amides. 


The  percentages  in  the  last  line  are  found  in  the  following 
manner.  We  take,  as  an  example,  the  dry  matter.  From 
the  table  it  will  be  seen  that  the  food  contained  in  all  25.64 
pounds  of  dry  matter;  in  the  dung  the  cow  excreted  10.54 
pounds,  making  the  total  dry  matter  digested  15.10  lbs.,  or 
100  x 15.10 

— 25~G4 58,9  Per  cenk  This  percentage  is  then,  what  is 

called  “ the  digestibility  co-efficient  ” for  the  dry  matter  of 
the  corn  fodder  ration. 

Below  will  be  found  the  digestibility  co-efficients  of  the 
rations  fed  during  the  various  periods. 


35 


DIGESTIBILITY  OF  RATIONS  FED. — IN  PER  CENT. 


Period. 

Name  of 
cow. 

Dry  matter. 

Organic  matter. 

Ether  extract. 

Crude  fiber. 

Protein . 

N.  free  extract. 

Albuminoids. 

Amides. 

T i 

Topsy 

58.9 

61.8 

59.5 

49.3 

81.7 

65.7 

57.1 

78.8 

r- i 

Palmer. . . . 

60.1 

63.3 

69.9 

52.4 

82.0 

66.3 

59.1 

77.2 

ITT  i 

Topsy 

58.2 

60.4 

69.9 

49.6 

79.1 

64.0 

54.9 

79.4 

III...  | 

Palmer. . . . 

57.4 

60.6 

67.6 

45.9 

79.7 

63.9 

57.7 

77.8 

Average  digestibility 

of  corn 

fodder  ra 

tion . . . 

59 

62 

67 

49 

81 

65 

57 

78 

TT  i 

1 Topsy 

64.4 

67.8 

76.8 

67.2 

83^9” 

67.3 

57.9 

86.2 

II....  | 

1 Palmer. . . . 

62.4 

66.2 

71.4 

53.7 

83.8 

69.4 

55.6 

90.0 

Average  digestibility 

of  ensilage  ration . . 

63 

67 

74 

61 

84 

68 

57 

88 

We  note  here  that  the  ensilage  ration  has  a higher  digestibil- 
ity than  the  corn  fodder  rations ; not  a very  marked  difference, 
but  still  a perceptible  one,  especially  as  regards  the  dry  matter, 
crude  fibre  and  amide  nitrogen  of  the  rations.  Also  the  protein 
of  the  ensilage  ration  is  shown  to  be  slightly  more  digestible 
than  that  of  the  corn  fodder  ration.  As  will  be  remembered, 
the  grain  feed  fed  in  connection  with  the  corn  fodder  and 
the  ensilage  was  the  same  and  given  in  the  same  quantities; 
we  may  therefore  be  justified  in  ascribing  the  difference  in 
the  digestibility  of  the  rations  to  different  digestibility  of 
the  corn  fodder  and  the  ensilage. 

If  we  assume  certain  digestibility  co-efficients  for  the 
components  of  the  grain  feed  given,  the  bran  and  the  corn 
meal,  we  can  find  out  how  much  of  the  digestible  matter 
of:  the  ration  was  derived  from  these  feeding  stuffs,  and,  by 
difference,  how  much  from  the  corn  fodder  or  the  ensilage. 
We  get  in  this  way  the  relative  digestibility  of  the  two  fod- 
ders. For  this  purpose  we  shall  assume  that  the  follow- 
ing percentages  of  the  constituents  of  the  grain  feed  were 
digested. 


35 


Fat. 

Crude 

fiber 

Protein. 

N.-free 

extract. 

Bran 

70 

23 

88 

75 

Corn  meal 

85 

62 

79 

91 

Figuring  now  on  the  supposition  that  70  per  cent.  (=.32  lbs.) 
of  the  fat  contained  in  bran,  is  digestible,  23  per  cent.  (= 
.25  lbs.)  of  the  crude  fiber,  etc.,  we  get  results  as  shown 
below. 


DIGESTIBILITY  OF  CORN  FODDER  IN  TOPSY’S  RATION,  PERIOD  I. 


| Digestible  Matter  of 

Fat. 

(Ether  ex- 
tract.) 

Crude 

fiber. 

Protein. 

N.-free 

extract. 

lbs. 

lbs. 

lbs. 

lbs. 

Whole  ration 

.47 

2.50 

2.77 

9.83 

Bran 

.32 

.25 

1.58 

3.93 

Corn  meal 

.07 

.03 

.15 

1.33 

Bran  and  corn  meal 

.39 

.28 

1.73 

5.26 

Corn  fodder  (by  difference) 

.08 

2.22 

1.04 

4.57 

Corn  fodder  in  per  cent 

30.8 

56.2 

73.6 

55.3 

In  the  same  manner  we  calculate  the  results  for  the  other 
rations  for  both  cows.  To  avoid  too  large  a number  of  fig- 
ures we  shall  here  only  give  these  results  and  also  the  aver- 
age figures,  these  giving  then  the  relative  digestibility 
co-efficients  for  Yellow  Dent  Corn  Fodder  and  Sweet  Corn 
Ensilage,  on  the  assumption  that  the  bran  and  corn-meal 
fed  along  with  the  fodders  had  the  digestibility  given  above 


37 


RELATIVE  DIGESTIBILITY  OF  CORN  FODDER  AND  ENSILAGE 

(IN  PER  CENT.) 

A. — Corn  Fodder. 


Period. 

Name  of  cow. 

Ether 

extract. 

Crude 

fiber. 

Protein. 

N.-free 

extract. 

I 

Topsy 

Palmer 

30.8 

63.6 

56.2 

61.2 

73.6 

74.0 

55.3 

55.2 

Ill 

( 

Topsy 

61.5 

56.8 

66.7 

51.9 

Palmer 

52.4 

54.5 

66.3 

48.4 

V 

Averafffi  . . . 

52 

57 

70 

53 

B. — Corn  Ensilage. 


i— i 

H- 1 

j 

Topsy 

80.0 

83.2 

79.2 

54.6 

“ t 

Palmer 

65.7 

65.6 

77.4 

58.2 

Average  . . 

73 

74 

78 

56 

One  point  is  especially  noticeable  here:  if  we  are  only  ap- 
proximately right  in  assuming  that  23  per  cent,  of  the  crude 
fiber  of  the  bran  and  62  per  cent,  of  the  crude  fiber  in  the 
corn  meal  were  digested,  we  see  that  the  crude  fiber  of  the 
ensilage  was  considerably  more  digestible  than  that  of  corn 
fodder,  the  co-efficients  found  being  57  per  cent,  and  74  per 
cent.,  respectively.  Under  “ ether  extract”  is  included  a 
variety  of  bodies,  fat,  chlorophyll,  wax,  different  biliary 
products,  etc.;  the  digestibility  co-efficients  for  the  ether  ex- 
tract therefore  are  of  less  accuracy  and  value  than  are  those 
found  for  the  other  components  of  fodders. 

As  regards  the  digestibility  of  corn  ensilage  we  have  but 
very  scant  information;  only  one  experiment  bearing 
directly  upon  this  point  has  ever  been  made,  and  the  ensi- 
lage (made  from  esparcet  or  sanfoin,  a legumenous  forage 
plant)  was  here  shown  to  be  less  digestible  than  the  corre- 
sponding dried  fodder.  Otherwise,  everything  that  has 
been  said  as  to  the  digestibility  of  ensilage  — and  there  has 
been  considerable  said  and  written  on  this  point  — is  mere 
guess-work  and  opinions,  without  any  solid  foundation  ob- 
tained from  scientific  investigations.  It  has  been  generally 


38 


considered  till  now  that  the  ensilage  was  less  digestible  than 
the  corresponding  corn  fodder.  In  the  present  experiment  the 
digestibility  of  the  ensilage  was  shown  to  be  higher  than 
that  of  corn  fodder.  As  has  been  explained  in  the  preced- 
ing, the  ensilage  was  of  another  and  larger  variety  than  the 
corn  fodder.  Further  experiments  evidently  are  necessary 
to  decide  whether  this  improvement  was  due  to  the  peculiar 
variety  of  ensilage  or  to  the  change  in  the  fodder  caused  by 
the  siloing  process.  The  experiment  as  originally  planned 
was  intended  to  bring  more  light  on  this  point  than  was  now 
obtained. 

ARTIFICIAL  DIGESTION. 

The  feeding  stuffs  used  in  this  experiment  and  the  rations 
fed  were  subjected  to  artificial  digestion,  according  to  the 
method  devised  by  the  German  scientist,  Dr.  A.  Stutzer. 
The  fodders  are  dried  and  ground  finely  and  treated  with  a 
dilute  pepsin  solution  for  forty-eight  hours  at  about  102°  F.; 
afterwards  the  residue  is  treated  with  a pancreas  (sweet 
bread)  solution  for  twenty-four  hours.  This  method  gives 
nothing  but  the  nitrogen  digested  out  by  the  solutions.  In 
all  cases  either  duplicate  or  triplicate  determinations  were 
made. 

PERCENTAGE  OF  DIGESTIBLE  PROTEIN  FOUND  BY 


Artificial 

digestion. 

Natural 

digestion. 

Yellow  dent  corn  fodder 

per  cent. 
66.0 
62.8 

85.2 

84.2 
80.1 
81.4 

per  cent. 

Sweet  corn  ensilage 

Bran  

Corn  meal 

Corn  fodder  ration 

80.7 

83.9 

Ensilage  ration 

The  difference  in  the  digestibility  of  the  corn  fodder  and 
the  ensilage  is  too  small  to  be  of  any  importance.  Compar- 
ing the  results  obtained  by  the  artificial  method,  as  regards 
the  rations  fed  in  the  experiment  with  those  found  by  actual 
observation,  it  will  be  seen  that  there  is  a most  striking 
agreement  between  the  two  methods,  the  difference  being 


39 


within  2.5  per  cent,  of  the  protein  present  in  the  rations. 
This  result  gives  additional  testimony  to  the  value  of  the 
method  for  the  determination  of  digestible  protein  in  feed- 
ing stuffs. 


CONCLUSIONS. 

In  the  preceding  we  have  followed,  step  by  step,  the  influ- 
ence which  the  feeding  of  ensilage  during  the  second  period 
of  the  experiment  had  on  the  general  condition  of  the  two 
cows  used  in  the  experiment,  on  the  quantity  and  composi- 
tion of  the  milk,  the  total  production  of  the  different  con- 
stituents of  the  milk,  the  butter  yield,  and  finally,  the 
digestibility  of  the  ensilage  ration,  compared  with  that  of  the 
corn  fodder  rations. 

This  one  experiment  does  not  settle  any  disputed  question; 
it  only  indicates  in  which  direction  the  questions  are  to  be 
decided. 

The  reader  cannot  be  warned  too  much  from  drawing  gen- 
eral conclusions  from  the  points  which  have  been  brought 
forward  in  this  discussion.  The  conditions  of  experiments 
similar  to  this  are  involved  and  multifarious,  and  the  possi- 
bility of  some  error  creeping  in  at  any  place  is  not  obliter- 
ated by  whatever  painstaking  and  watchful  attention  there 
may  be  laid  down  in  the  experiment.  Only  where  the  re- 
sults obtained  coincide  with  those  found  in  previous  experi- 
ments are  we,  therefore,  justified  in  saying  that  the  general 
effects  ofjhe  feeding  of  corn  ensilage  are  such  as  shown 
here.  The  one  point  which  in  the  writer’s  opinion  this  ex- 
periment in  connection  with  previous  ones  has  proved  is 
that 

Ensilage  on  account  of  its  succulence  has  a beneficial  influ- 
ence on  butter  production , causing  a larger  part  of  the  milk 
fat  to  be  recovered  in  the  butter,  or  what  is  the  same  from 
the  dairyman’s  standpoint,  causing  less  waste  of  butter  to 
occur  in  the  churning.  As  for  other  points  which  this  ex- 
periment has  shown,  further  investigation  will  be  necessary 
to  demonstrate  if  we  have  to  deal  with  laws  or  with  acci- 
dental circumstances.  It  is  intended  to  follow  up  the  line 
of  study  entered  upon  in  this  experiment  in  the  coming 


40 


years  and,  if  possible^  to  carry  it  through  till  the  ends  sought 
for  are  obtained,  viz.:  a full  understanding  of  the  specific 
influence  of  ensilage  feeding  on  milk  production. 

The  results  obtained  in  this  experiment  may  be  summa- 
rized as  follows: 

1.  The  live  weight  of  the  cows  increased  directly  after 
the  first  corn  fodder  period,  and  decreased  again  directly 
after  the  ensilage  period,  apparently  on  account  of  increased 
retention  of  food  or  water  in  the  body  of  the  animals. 

2.  The  milk  produced  during  the  ensilage  period  was 
poorer  in  composition  as  regards  total  solids  and  casein, 
while  the  percentage  of  fat  in  the  milk  was  smaller  in  one 
case  and  larger  in  the  other,  than  was  that  produced  in  the 
corn  fodder  periods. 

3.  The  quantity  of  milk  given  decreased  during  the  en- 
silage period. 

4.  The  quantities  produced  of  milk  solids,  milk  fat  and 
casein  decreased  on  the  ensilage  feed. 

5.  Considering  the  quantities  of  milk  solids,  milk  fat  and 
casein  produced  by  one  pound  of  digestible  matter  in  the  en- 
silage ration  and  in  the  corn  fodder  ration  we  find  practi- 
cally no  difference  in  the  nutritive  effect  of  the  two  rations, 
only  that  the  ensilage  ration  produced  a somewhat  thinner 
milk. 

6.  12.60  per  cent,  more  of  the  fat  was  churned  out  from 
the  mixed  milk  of  both  cows,  when  the  cows  were  fed  on 
ensilage  than  when  they  received  com  fodder,  the  last  week 
of  each  period  being  considered. 

7.  The  digestibility  of  the  ensilage  ration  was  somewhat 
higher  than  that  of  the  corn  fodder  rations;  the  crude  fiber 
and  the  protein  of  the  sweet  corn  ensilage  appear  to  be  more 
digestible  than  the  crude  fiber  and  protein  of  the  yellow 
dent  corn  fodder. 

8.  The  method  for  artificial  digestion  of  fodders,  devised 
by  Dr.  A.  Stutzer,  gave  results  closed  concordant  with 
those  found  by  the  determination  of  the  actual  digestibility 
of  the  rations. 


F.  W.  A.  WOLL. 


I 


UNIVERSITY  OF  WISCONSIN* 


Agricultural  Experiment  Station. 


BULLETIN  NO.  16. 


A NEW  METHOD  FOR  DETERMINING  FAT  IN  MILK. 


MADISON.  WISCONSIN.  JULY,  1888. 


tW^The  Bulletins  and  Annual  Reports  of  this  Station  are  sent  free  to  all 
residents  of  this  State  u'ho  request  it. 


DEMOCRAT  PRINTING  COMPANY,  STATE  PRINTERS 


UNIVERSITY  OF  WISCONSIN 


Agricultural  Experiment  Station. 


BOARD  OF  REGENTS. 


THE  STATE  SUPERINTENDENT,  ex  officio. 


State  at  Large, 
State  at  Large, 
1st  District,  - 
2d  District, 

3d  District, 

4th  District, 

5th  District, 

6th  District, 

7th  District, 
8th  District, 

9th  District, 


Hon  GEO.  H.  PAUL,  President, 
Hon.  E.W.  KEYES,  Ch’n  Ex.  Com. 

Hon.  J.  G.  McMYNN. 
Hon.  HENRY  D.  HITT. 
Hon.  GEO.  RAYMER. 
- - Hon.  GEO.  KCEPPEN. 

Hon.  HIRAM  SMITH. 
Hon.  FRANK  CHALLONER. 

Hon.  C.  H.  WILLIAMS. 
Hon.  WM  P.  BARTLETT. 
- Hon.  R.  D.  MARSHALL. 
Secretary,  E.  F.  RILEY,  Madison. 


J Experiment  Station  Committee , 

Regents,  SMITH,  HITT,  and  WILLIAMS. 


OFFICERS  OF  THE  STATION. 


T.  C.  CHAMBERLIN,  LL.  D., 
Prof.  W.  A.  HENRY,  Agr.  B., 
Prof.  S.  M.  BABCOCK.  Ph.  D. 
F.  G.  SHORT, 

F.  W.  A.  WOLL,  M.  S., 

LESLIE  H.  ADAMS, 

Miss  N.  M.  NOTT, 


President. 
Director. 
Chief  Chemist. 
Assistant  Chemist. 
Second  Assistant  Chemist. 

Farm  Superintendent. 
Clerk  and  Stenographer. 


Office, 

Chemical  Laboratory, 


16  Agricultural  Hall. 
18  Agricultural  Hall. 


Experimental  Fields  and  Barn  on  the  University  Farm,  adjoininq 

College  Campus. 


TELEPHONE  CONNECTIONS. 


A NEW  METHOD  FOR  DETERMINING  FAT  IN  MILK. 


By  F.  G.  SHORT. 

The  possession  of  a quick,  accurate  and  inexpensive 
method  for  determining  the  total  fat  in  milk,  simple  enough 
to  be  used  by  persons  of  ordinary  education  who  have  not 
been  trained  in  the  chemical  laboratory,  is  of  the  highest 
importance  to  all  persons  engaged  in  handling  dairy  prod- 
ucts. The  demand  for  such  a method,  if  it  can  be  found,  is 
apparent  on  all  sides,  for  without  it  a large  amount  of  guess 
work,  if  it  cannot  be  characterized  by  the  stronger  word 
ignorance,  must  continue  to  impede  our  progress  toward  a 
higher  standard  in  dairy  matters.  Not  only  does  the  de- 
mand come  from  the  butter  and  cheese  factories  where  the 
need  of  such  a method  is  keenly  felt,  but  also  there  are  loud 
calls  for  it  from  dairymen  and  breeders  of  dairy  stock.  The 
practical  dairyman  desires  to  keep  only  such  animals  as 
will  yield  a profit  for  the  feed  consumed,  having  no  practi- 
cal way  of  testing  his  cows  except  by  setting  the  milk  from 
each  separately  and  churning  the  cream  it  produces,  he  finds 
the  method  too  tedious  and  requiring  so  much  time  that  it 
is  given  up,  and  he  proceeds  along  the  old  path,  gauging  the 
ability  of  the  individuals  of  his  herd  by  the  apparent  quan- 
tity in  milk  given  and  the  length  of  time  a good  yield  is 
maintained. 

The  breeder  of  dairy  stock  is  no  better  off  and  although  he 
may  weigh  the  milk  from  each  animal  and  keep  careful 
records,  he  knows  that  this  tells  but  part  of  the  story,  for  it 
is  quite  possible  that  some  individual  in  the  herd  giving  the 
smallest  number  of  pounds  of  milk  during  the  year  may 
have  due  her  the  largest  total  yield  of  butter  fat.  In  order 
to  weed  out  the  herd  and  breed  in  butter  lines  intelligently 
something  like  an  exact  knowledge  of  the  butter  production 
of  each  individual  must  be  known. 

No  discussion  will  be  entered  upon  at  this  point  as  to 
whether  or  not  the  fat  content  is  a fair  guage  of  the  quality 


4: 


of  milk,  for  this  is  largely  assumed  by  all  who  handle  it,  and 
this  standard  of  judgment  will  without  doubt  continue  in 
the  future.  It  is  not  saying  too  much  that  if  any  great  ad- 
vancement is  to  be  made  in  dairy  matters  in  the  future,  be 
it  with  a single  cow  or  the  whole  herd,  in  creameries  or 
cheese  factories,  such  advancement  will  have  its  foundation 
upon  a quick,  accurate  and  simple  method  of  total  fat  deter- 
mination; if  this  cannot  be  found,  our  progress  is  greatly 
delayed  if  not  altogether  impeded.  At  the  suggestion  of 
the  Director  of  this  Station,  the  writer  some  nine  months 
ago  undertook  to  see  what  could  be  done  for  the  dairymen 
in  this  regard,  and  has  since  that  date  devoted  his  time 
largely  to  the  discovery  and  perfecting  of  the  method  here- 
with described. 

THEORY  OF  THE  PROCESS. 

The  process  depends  on  the  following  facts:  That  when 
a mixture  of  milk  and  a strong  alkali  is  heated  to  the 
temperature  of  boiling  water  for  a sufficient  time,  the  fat 
of  the  milk  unites  with  the  alkali  and  form  a soap  which  is 
dissolved  in  the  hot  liquid;  at  the  same  time  the  casein  and 
albumen  are  disintegrated  and  become  much  more  easily 
soluble.  After  the  heating  has  continued  for  about  two 
hours  the  mixture  of  milk  and  alkali  becomes  homogeneous 
and  of  a dark  brown  color.  On  the  addition  of  an  acid  the 
soap  is  decomposed,  the  fatty  acids  are  set  free,  and  rise  to 
the  surface,  while  the  albumen,  casein,  etc.,  are  first  precipi- 
tated and  then  dissolved.  The  insoluble  fatty  acids,  thus 
obtained,  constitute  very  nearly  87  per  cent,  of  the  total  fat 
in  the  milk. 

APPARATUS. 

The  process  requires  the  following  apparatus: 

Tubes,  Fig.  1,  made  of  soft  lead  glass  about  one-sixteenth 
inch  thick.  The  lower  part  of  the  tube  being  about  five 
inches  long  and  fifteen-sixteenths  of  an  inch  in  diameter. 
The  upper  part  of  the  tube  five  inches  long  and  one-fourth 
inch  inside  diameter. 

2nd.  Three  pipettes,  Fig.  2,  one  holding  when  filled  up  to 
the  mark  B,  on  the  neck,  20  cubic  centimeters,  (about  two- 
thirds  of  an  ounce),  this  being  the  exact  amount  of  milk  to 
be  taken  for  analysis;  the  other  two  pipettes  holding  ten 


5 


cubic  centimeters  each,  for  measuring  the  alkali  and  acid 
used. 

3d.  A scale.  Fig.  3,  divided  in  millimeters  for  measuring 
the  column  of  fat,  when  the  analysis  is  finished.  The  one 
used  by  the  writer  is  a folding  boxwood  rule;  but  any  rule 
divided  in  millimeters  will  answer  the  purpose. 

4th.  A water  bath.  Fig.  4,  made  of  sheet  copper.  It  is 
provided  with  a rack  to  hold  the  tubes  while  being  heated, 
also  a feed  and  overflow  (C)  to  keep  the  water  in  the  bath  at 
a constant  level.  In  the  cut  the  side  is  broken  away  to 
show  the  rack  and  method  of  supporting  the  tubes  in  the 
bath. 

5th.  A wash  bottle.  Fig.  5,  to  hold  hot  water. 

SOLUTIONS  REQUIRED. 

The  solutions  required  for  the  process  are  as  follows: 

No.  I.  8.75  ounces  (250  grams)  caustic  soda  and 

10.7  ounces  (300  grams)  caustic  potash  dissolved  in 
4 pounds  (1809  grams)  water. 

Use  ten  cubic  centimeters  for  each  analysis. 

No.  II.  Equal  parts  of  commercial  sulphuric  and  acetic 
acids. 

The  acetic  acid  should  be  of  1.047  specific  gravity. 

Use  ten  cubic  centimeters  of  the  mixed  acids  for  each 
analysis. 

DIRECTIONS  FOR  ANALYSIS. 

Taking  Samples.  — Mix  the  milk  thoroughly  by  pouring 
from  one  vessel  to  another,  avoiding  as  much  as  possible 
the  formation  of  air  bubbles;  warming  the  milk  to  80*90° 
Fah.  will  prevent  frothing  to  a large  extent.  After  mixing 
allow  the  milk  to  stand  one  or  two  minutes,  to  permit  the 
air  bubbles  to  escape  before  taking  samples.  Fill  the  20 
c.  c.  pipette.  Fig.  2,  by  placing  the  lower  end  in  the  milk  and 
sucking  until  the  milk  rises  in  the  tube  above  the  mark  on 
the  side.  Place  the  finger  quickly  on  the  top  of  the  tube 
and  allow  the  milk  to  run  out  slowly,  until  it  falls  to  the 
mark  on  the  side  of  the  tube;  then  let  the  contents  of  the 
pipette  run  into  one  of  the  analytical  tubes.  Fig.  1,  blowing 
out  the  last  few  drops. 


6 


Adding  the  Alkali. — Fill  one  of  the  10  cubic  centimeter 
pipettes  to  the  mark  on  the  side,  with  alkali,  and  allow  the 
solution  to  flow  into  the  milk  just  measured.  Place  the  finger 
on  the  top  of  the  tube  and  shake  the  tube  until  the  milk  and 
alkali  are  well  mixed.  A rubber  cot  on  the  finger  will  pro- 
tect it  from  the  action  of  the  alkali.  Treat  all  samples  in 
the  same  way.  Place  the  tubes  in  the  rack,  B,  in  Fig.  4,  set 
the  rack  and  tubes  in  the  water  bath.  Fig.  4,  and  heat  the 
bath  until  the  water  boils;  continue  boiling  for  two  hours, 
or  until  the  contents  of  the  tube  become  homogeneous  and  of 
a dark  brown  color  similar  to  that  of  sorghum  molasses. 
After  the  tubes  have  boiled  for  one  hour  remove  the  rack 
and  tubes  from  the  bath  and  examime  the  tubes  to  see  if 
the  contents  are  well  mixed.  If  a whitish  layer  of  casein 
and  fat  is  found  floating  on  the  surface  of  the  liquid,  gently 
shake  and  roll  the  tubes  till  the  contents  are  well  mixed. 
Return  tubes  to  water  bath  and  boil  one  hour.  The  tubes 
are  then  ready  for  the  addition  of  the  acid. 

Adding  the  Acid. — Remove  the  rack  with  the  tubes  from 
the  water  and  allow  them  to  cool  to  about  150°  Fah.  Then 
by  means  of  the  pipette,  add  10  cubic  centimeters  of  the 
acid  mixture  to  each  tube,  slowly,  so  as  not  to  cause  the 
contents  of  the  tube  to  froth  over.  Mix  the  acid  with  the 
contents  by  running  a small  glass  tube  to  the  bottom  of 
the  mixture  and  blowing  gently.  Place  the  rack  and  tubes 
again  in  the  bath  and  heat  to  boiling  for  one  hour.  Remove 
the  tubes  from  the  water  and  then  by  means  of  the  water 
bottle,  Fig.  5,  fill  the  tubes  with  hot  water  to  within  one  inch 
of  the  top.  The  fat  will  then  rise  to  the  top  of  the  water. 
Replace  the  tubes  in  the  bath  and  allow  them  to  stand  in 
the  hot  water,  without  boiling,  for  one  hour.  At  the  end  of 
this  time  remove  the  tubes  from  the  bath,  one  at  a time,  and 
measure  while  hot. 

Measuring  the  Fat. — By  reference  to  Fig.  0,  the  reader  will 
observe  that  the  lines  C and  D,  representing  the  upper  and 
lower  limits  of  the  column  of  fat,  do  not  extend  straight  across 
the  tubes;  but  are  slightly  curved.  In  measuring  the  column 
of  fat,  place  the  rule  on  the  tube  so  that  the  line  D will  coma 
opposite  the  lowest  part  of  the  curved  line  of  the  fat,  D* 


7 

Fig.  6;  then  read  up  the  scale  to  the  division  coming  oppo- 
site the  lowest  part  of  the  curved  line  C,  Fig.  6.  The  num- 
ber of  divisions  on  the  rule  between  C and  D,  is  the  length 
of  the  column  of  fat  in  millimeters.  The  per  cent,  of  fat  in 
the  milk  is  then  calculated  from  the  following  formula  and 
data: 

Amount  of  milk  taken,  20  cubic  centimeters. 

Specific  gravity  of  milk,  1.032. 

Specific  gravity  of  insoluble  fatty  acids,  .914. 

Per  cent,  of  insoluble  fatty  acids  in  butter  fat,  87. 

From  the  above  data  we  have  the  following  formula: 

100  a X b X C ~x 

d X e 

Where  a = the  length  of  the  column  of  fat  in  millimeters, 
b = the  value  of  one  linear  millimeter  of  measured  fat 
expressed  in  cubic  centimeters.  The  value  of  b will  vary, 
according  to  the  size  of  the  tube  used, 
c = specific  gravity  of  the  insoluble  fatty  acids, 
d = 20.64  grams,  or  the  volume  of  milk  taken  for  analysis 
multiplied  by  its  specific  gravity, 
e = per  cent,  of  insoluble  fatty  acids  in  butter  fat. 
x = per  cent,  of  fat  present  in  sample  of  milk  taken  for 
analysis.  Substituting  the  figures  obtained  by  an  actual  an- 
alysis the  formula  would  be 

100  X x —x  =;  4 12 
20.64  X .87 

Per  cent,  of  fat  in  sample  of  milk  analyzed. 

If  the  process  has  been  conducted  according  to  the  above 
directions  the  column  of  fat  will  be  free  from  impurities 
and  the  line  of  separation  between  the  water  and  fat  will 
be  perfectly  clear.  On  first  rising  to  the  surface  the  fat  is 
slightly  turbid  owing  to  the  presence  of  a small  quantity  of 
water.  Although  this  will  make  no  appreciable  difference 
in  the  measurement  of  the  fat,  it  may  if  desired  be  obtained 
perfectly  clear  by  removing  the  tubes  from  the  bath  and 
allowing  them  to  cool  slowly.  The  crystalization  of  the  fat 
causes  the  finely  divided  water,  which  is  distributed  through 
the  fat,  to  collect  in  drops  which  sink  to  the  bottom  when 
the  tubes  are  again  heated,  leaving  the  fat  perfectly  clear. 


8 


The  analyst  may  fail  to  obtain  correct  results  from  the 
following  causes:  Either  the  column  of  fat  may  contain 
flecks  of  undecomposed  casein,  which  would  increase  the 
volume  of  fat,  thereby  giving  too  high  a per  cent.,  or  a 
small  quantity  of  butter  fat  may  remain  unsaponified,  which 
will  also  give  too  high  results.  These  errors  are  both  caused 
by  insufficient  heating  of  the  milk  with  the  alkali,  and  may 
be  easily  obviated  by  taking  care  to  heat  the  mixture  of 
milk  and  alkali  for  two  hours  at  least.  If  not  pressed  for 
time  it  is  better  to  heat  two  and  one-half  hours  and  thereby 
remove  all  risks  of  the  above  errors.  If  milk  containing 
more  than  six  per  cent,  is  to  be  tested,  the  mixture  of  milk 
and  alkali  should  be  heated,  at  least,  three  hours.  In  such 
case  it  would  be  better,  perhaps,  to  take  ten  cubic  centime- 
ters in  place  of  the  usual  amount. 

Before  adding  acid  the  tubes  and  contents  must  be  allowed 
to  cool  to  150  Fah.  at  least.  If  added  at  a higher  tempe  r ature, 
the  contact  of  the  strong  acid  with  the  hot  alkali  solution 
will  generate  sufficient  heat  to  cause  the  contents  of  the  tube 
to  boil  with  explosive  violence,  throwing  out  the  contents  of 
the  tube  and  spoiling  the  analysis.  If  after  the  addition  of 
hot  water  the  tubes  are  allowed  to  stand  in  boiling  water, 
small  bubbles  of  gas  are  given  off  by  the  continued  action  of 
the  acid  on  the  casein.  These  bubbles  rise  through  the  column 
of  fat,  rendering  it  turbid  and  causing  difficulty  in  measuring. 
The  bottles  containing  the  solutions  of  acid  and  alkali 
should  be  kept  corked  when  not  in  use.  If  the  acid  bottle 
be  left  open  the  acetic  acid  will  evaporate  and  the  acid  will 
not  dissolve  the  casein.  The  alkali  bottle  should  be  kept 
closed  to  prevent  absorption  of  carbonic  acid  and  conse- 
quent weakening  of  the  solution. 

To  ascertain  the  accuracy  of  this  process,  duplicate  analy- 
sis of  the  same  milk  have  been  made  both  by  the  regular 
gravimetric  method  and  the  new  process.  In  comparing 
the  results  obtained  by  the  two  methods  we  must  keep  in 
mind  the  fact  that  the  new  process  is  intended  for  commer- 
cial analysis  and  does  not  claim  the  extreme  accuracy 
called  for  in  scientific  work.  The  slight  variations  between 
the  gravimetric  and  the  new  method  are  due  to  the  fact 


a 


9 


that  the  data  used  in  calculating  the  per  cent,  of  fat  are  the 
averages  of  a larger  number  of  milks.  From  these  aver- 
ages individual  milks  may  vary  enough  to  introduce  a small 
error.  This  variation,  however,  is  rarely  more  than  two- 
tenths  of  one  per  cent.,  the  usual  error  being  no  more  than 
by  the  gravimetric  method.  With  herd  milk  the  difference 
between  the  two  methods  would  be  less  than  in  the  analysis 
given  below,  as  these  are  almost  all  from  the  milk  of  indi- 
vidual cows.  Owing  to  the  individual  differences  that  exist 
in  the  milk  of  single  cows  the  analysis  of  such  milks  is  the 
severest  test  to  which  a new  process  can  be  put.  Following 
is  a list  of  the  cows  whose  milk  has  been  analyzed  separately. 


Name  of  Cow. 

Breed. 

Calved. 

Topsy 

Half  Blood  Holstein 

October,  1887. 

Palmer 

Grade  Short-horn 

Sept.,  1887. 

Sylvia 

High  Grade  Jersey 

Oct.  3,  1887. 

Bessie 

Grade  Jersey 

Jan.  12,  1888. 

Rose 

Grade  Jersey 

October,  1887. 

Cowry 

Full  Blood  Jersey Last  calf 

Nov.,  1884. 

Mattie 

Half  Blood  Holstein 

Oct.  3,  1887. 

Purcell 

Native 

Fall,  1887. 

Rusk 

Grade  Jersey 

Jan.  24,  1888. 

Doubtful  2nd 

Grade  Jersey 

Dec.  29,  1887. 

Daisy  2nd 

Grade  Jersey 

Roan 

Grade  Short-horn 

April  14,  1887. 

Gipsy 

Grade  Short-horn 

Sept.,  1887. 

Jessie 

Grade  Jersey 

Fall,  1887. 

Sylvia  2nd 

Grade  Jersey 

Jan.  27,  1888. 

Hopsie 

Full  Blood  Holstein j 

Owned  by  E.  D. 

Hammeka 

Full  Blood  Holstein 1 

Frost, 

Almond,  Wis. 

Several  samples  of  milk  from  pure  blood  Holsteins  were 
sent  to  the  Station  by  Mr.  E.  D.  Frost.  Mr.  J.  A.  Smith,  of 
Saukville,  also  contributed  samples  of  factory  milk. 

Samples  of  the  morning’s  milk  from  each  of  the  above  cows, 
except  the  last  two,  were  brought  each  morning  to  the  labor- 
atory and  immediately  weighed  out  for  gravimetric  analysis; 
at  the  same  time  the  milk  was  analyzed  by  the  new  process, 
two  or  more  duplicates  being  measured  out  and  the  analysis 
finished  within  three  hours.  The  following  table  gives  the 
results  of  41  milks  analyzed  in  this  manner. 

The  gravimetric  method  used  is  the  same  as  that  given  by 
Dr.  Babcock  in  Report  of  the  New  York  Agl.  Exp.  Station, 
1883,  p.  167. 


10 


The  following  table  gives  the  comparative  results  ob- 
tained by  the  writer  with  the  gravimetric  and  new  methods: 


No. 

Name  of  cow 

Method. 

Date. 

Short’s. 

Gravi- 

metric. 

1 

Topsy 

4.46 

4.47 

i Dec.  20,  1887 

2 

Topsy 

4.33 

4.47 

Dec.  21,  1887 

3 

Topsy 

4.47 

4.38 

i Dec.  22,  1887 

4 

Palmer 

4.87 

4.73 

Dec.  22,  1887 

5 

Topsy 

4.47 

4.66 

Dec.  20,  1887 

6 

Palmer 

5.64 

5.58 

Dec.  24,  1887 

7 

Palmer 

4.75 

4.70 

Dec.  26,  1887 

8 

Topsy 

4.50 

4.60 

Dec.  26,  1887 

9 

Palmer. ....... 

5.02 

5.04 

Jan.  2,  1888 

10 

Sylvia 

5.90 

5.92 

Jan.  4,  1888 

11 

Bessie 

4.55 

4.68 

Jan.  4,  1888 

12 

Rose  . . 

3.74 

3.63 

13 

Cowry. ........ 

8.91 

8.97 

14 

Rose  

3.22 

3.23 

Feb.  11,  1888 

15 

Mattie 

2.61 

2.75 

Feb.  11,  1888 

16 

Cowry 

6.96 

7.23 

Feb.  13,  1888 

17 

Purcell 

3.96 

3.99 

Feb.  13,  1888 

18 

Mattie 

2.75 

2.95 

Feb.  14,  1888 

19 

Rusk 

3.86 

3.99 

Feb.  15,  1888 

20 

Doubtful  2nd. . 

3.31 

3.55 

Feb.  16,  1888 

21 

Cowry 

7.29 

7.48 

Feb.  16,  1888 

22 

Daisy  2d 

4.27 

4.46 

Feb.  16,  1888 

23 

Roan 

4.51 

4.52 

Feb.  17,  1888 

24 

Gipsay 

3.64 

3.84 

Feb.  17,  1888 

25 

Cowry 

7.30 

7.37 

Feb.  17,  1888 

26 

Sylvia 

5.90 

5.75 

Mar.  13,  1888 

27 

Jessie 

4.83 

4.79 

Mar.  14,  1888 

28 

Daisy  2d 

5.27 

5.05 

Mar.  15,  1888 

29 

Sylvia  2d 

4.55 

4.77 

Mar.  16,  1888 

30 

Jessie 

4.57 

4.75 

Mar.  17,  1888 

31 

Herd 

2.77 

2.85 

32 

Herd 

2.26 

2.32 

33 

Herd 

4.16 

4.11 

34 

Herd  . 

2.11 

2.17 

35 

Herd  

1.78 

1.84 

36 

Factory  milk . . 

3.50 

3.47 

37 

Factory  milk. . 

3.80 

3.64 

38 

Factory  milk . . 

2.90 

2.86 

39 

Herd 

3.41 

3.49 

40 

Hopsie  . . 

3.83 

3.75 

41 

Ham  m Pika, . . 

3.98 

3.75 

Remarks. 


Colostrum 

milk. 

From 

stripper. 


From 

stripper. 


Above  milk 
partly 
skimmed. 

Above  milk 
partly 
skimmed. 
Skimmed 
2d  time. 
From  J.  A. 
Smith, 
Saukville, 
^ Wis. 

Sent  by  E. 
D.  Frost, 
Almond, 

. Wis. 


11 


In  order  to  determine  if  previous  laboratory  training  is 
necessary  to  conduct  analyses  by  this  method,  Mr.  L.  H. 
Adams,  the  farm  superintendent,  who  has  had  no  experience 
in  chemical  work,  was  given  the  apparatus  with  printed  di- 
rections and  made  the  following  analyses  without  further 
instructions,  the  writer  at  the  same  time  making  gravimet- 
ric determinations  of  the  same  milk  with  the  following  re- 
sults: 


Analzyed  by  Adams. 

Analyzed 
by  Short. 

Date. 

Milk. 

No. 

Short’s 

Method. 

Gravi- 

metric. 

1 

4.69 

4.74 

Feb.  21,  1888 

Mixed  milk , 

2 

4.38 

4.18 

Feb.  21,  1888 

Mixed  milk . 

8 

4.18 

4.25 

Mixed  milk. 

4 

4.01 

4.17 

Feb.  22,  1888 

Mixed  milk , 

5 *. 

4.77 

4.62 

Feb.  23,  1888 

Mixed  milk . 

6 

4.22 

4.37 

Feb.  23,  1888 

Mixed  milk . 

7 

8.77 

3.67 

Feb.  24,  1888 

Mixed  milk . 

8 

4.25  - 

4.17 

Feb.  24,  1888 

Mixed  milk . 

9 

7.42 

7.63 

Feb.  25,  1888 

Mixed  milk . 

10 

3.58 

3.56 

Feb.  25,  1888 

Mixed  milk . 

11 

3.29 

3.28 

Feb.  25,  1888 

Mixed  milk . 

12 

4.56 

4.45 

Feb.  25,  1888 

Mixed  milk . 

Average 

4.422 

4.424 

To  give  the  method  still  further  trial.  Dr.  Babcock  con- 
ducted gravimetric  analyses  while  two  students  pursuing 
agricultural  studies,  analyzed  the  same  samples  by  the  new 
method.  Neither  of  the  students  had  had  any  training  in 
laboratory  work. 

Printed  instructions  were  given  them  as  in  the  case  of  Mr. 
Adams;  and  they  received  no  further  aid.  The  students 
went  through  the  several  steps  of  the  process  once  in  order 
to  familarize  themselves  with  it,  before  making  the  analy- 
ses given  below: 


12 


Analyzed  by  Students. 

Analyzed  by  Dr.  Babcock. 

Student. 

No. 

Milk. 

Short’s 

method. 

Gravimetric. 

Date. 

1 

Herd  milk . 

4.08 

4.13 

Mar.  3,  ’88  ... 

C.  D.  Wolfram 

2 

Herd  milk . 

4.00 

4.00 

Mar.  3,  ’88. . . . 

C.  D.  Wolfram 

8 

Herd  milk . 

8.78 

3.72 

Mar.  5,  ’88. . . . 

G.  A.  Carswell 

4 

Herd  milk . 

3.70 

3.71 

Mar.  5,  ’88. . . . 

G.  A.  Carswell 

5 

Herd  milk . 

4.56 

4.76 

Mar.  6,  ’88. . . . 

G.  A.  Carswell 

6 

Herd  milk . 

4.26  (?) 

4.63 

Mar.  6,  ’88 

G.  A.  Carswell 

7 

Herd  milk . 

4.29 

4.48 

Mar.  6,  ’88 

G.  A.  Carswell 

8 

Herd  milk . 

4.01 

4.07 

Mar.  7,  ’88. . . . 

G.  A.  Carswell 

9 

Herd  milk . 

4.13 

4.35 

Mar.  7,  ’88. . . . 

G.  A.  Carswell 

10 

Herd  milk . 

4.41 

4.30 

Mar.  7,  ’88. . . . 

G.  A.  Carswell 

Average . . 

4.11 

4.22 

In  order  to  further  test  the  method  in  hands  of  other  par- 
ties and  with  different  kinds  of  milk,  complete  sets  of  ap- 
paratus were  sent  to  Mr.  E.  F.  Ladd,  chemist  of  the  New 
York  Agricultural  Experiment  Station,  and  to  W.  J.  Ives, 
State  Dairy  Commissioner  of  Minnesota.  These  gentlemen 
were  kind  enough  to  make  comparisons  of  the  process  with 
the  regular  gravimetric  method.  Mr.  Ladd  writes  under 
date  of  May  20th,  1888,  as  follows: 

I have  carefully  tested  the  method  worked  out  by  Mr.  Short  for  the  de- 
termination of  fat  in  milk,  using  the  apparatus  furnished  by  you.  Below 
I give  you  the  results  of  my  several  trials  by  the  method,  in  comparison 
with  gravimetric  analyses: 

PER  CENT.  OF  FAT  IN  MILK. 


No. 

Gravi- 

metric. 

Short’s 

method. 

1 

5.03 

4.99 

2 

4.62 

( 

;4.7i 

•4.74 

8 

4.60 

4.71 

4.60 

4 

5.00 

i 

j 5.16 
1 5.19 
j 5.84 
1 5.86 
5.22 

5 

5.69 

i 

i 

6 

5.13 

i 

7 

4.88 

4.88 

8 

6.95 

j 

[ 6.97 
i 7.10 
' 6.76 

9 

6.77 

1 

10 

4.57 

4.52 

13 


Nos.  2 and  5 were  the  mixed  milk  from  several  cows.  Other  determina- 
tions were  with  the  milk  of  individual  cows. 

I have  tried  several  of  the  methods  prepared  for  the  estimation  of  fat  in 
milk  without  success.  The  Lactobutyrometer  method  generally  recom- 
mended as  the  best,  has  nearly  always  proved  very  unsatisfactory  with  the 
milk  from  the  Station  dairy. 

I consider  Mr.  Short’s  method  the  most  reliable  of  any  yet  offered  as  a 
substitute  for  gravimetric  analysis  of  milk. 

(Signed)  Very  truly  yours, 

E.  F.  Ladd.” 

The  apparatus  sent  to  W.  J.  Ives  was  tested  by  W.  S. 
Eberman,  chemist  of  the  Dairy  Department.  The  first 
analyses  made  by  him  are  as  follows: 

PER  CENT.  OF  FAT  IN  MILK. 


No. 

Gravimet- 

ric. 

Short’s 

method. 

1 

3.50 

3.38 

2 

3.80 

3.31 

3 

3.60 

3.36 

4 

3.40 

2.29 

5 

4.00 

3.61 

A second  set  of  analyses  made  by  Mr.  Eberman  gave  the 
following  results: 

PER  CENT.  OF  FAT  IN  MILK. 


No. 

Gravi- 

metric. 

Short’s 

method. 

1 

3.60 

3.74 

2 

2.90 

3.36 

3 

3.70 

3.93 

4 

4.20 

4.28 

5 

4.00 

3.91 

The  method  of  gravimetric  analysis  used  by  Mr.  Eberman 
was  that  of  Wanklyn  as  modified  by  Davenport.  Its  essen- 
tial points  are  drying  the  milk,  in  a platinum  dish,  over  a 
water  bath;  and  the  extraction  of  the  dried  residue  with 
petroleum  ether.  It  is  a well  known  fact  that  Wanklyn’s 


u 


process  almost  invariably  gives  a lower  per  cent,  of  fat 
and  the  results  are  less  uniform  than  those  obtained  by  con- 
tinuous extraction  of  the  dried  residue  with  ether.  This 
fact  is  sufficient  to  explain  the  differences  between  the  two 
methods  shown  in  the  above  table. 


* 


_ 


UNIVERSITY  OF  WISCONSIN- 


Agricultural  Experiment  Station. 


BULLETIN  NO.  17. 


REPORT  ON  CORN,  OATS,  BARLEY  AND  POTATOES: 
GRAPE  GROWING. 


MADISON.  WISCONSIN,  NOVEMBER.  1888. 


Iiulletins  and  Annual  Iteports  of  this  Station  are  sent  free  to  all 
residents  of  this  Slate  who  request  it. 


DEMOCRAT  PRINTING  COMPANY,  STATE  PRINTERS,  MADISON,  WIS. 


UNIVERSITY  OF  WISCONSIN 


Agricultural  Experiment  Station. 


BOARD  OF  REGENTS. 


THE  STATE  SUPERINTENDENT,  ex  officio. 


State  at  Large, 
State  at  Large, 
1st  District, 

2d  District, 

3d  District,  - 
4th  District, 

5th  District, 

6th  District, 
?th  District, 

8th  District, 


Hon.  GEO.  H.  PAUL,  President. 
Hon.  E.  W.  KEYES,  Ch’n  Ex.  Com. 

- Hon.  J.  G.  McMYNN. 
Hon.  HENRY  D.  HITT. 

- Hon.  GEO.  RAYMER. 
Hon.  GEO.  KCEPPEN. 

- Hon.  HIRAM  SMITH. 
Hon.  FRANK  CHALLONER. 

Hon.  C.  H.  WILLIAMS. 
Hon.  WM.  P.  BARTLETT. 


9th  District, 


Hon.  R.  D.  MARSHALL. 
Secretary,  E.  F.  RILEY,  Madison. 


J Experiment  Station  Committee, 

Regents  SMITH,  HITT  and  WILLIAMS. 


OFFICERS  OF  THE  STATION. 


T.  C.  CHAMBERLIN, 
W.  A.  HENRY,  - 
S.  M.  BABCOCK,  - 
F.  H.  KING, 

F.  G.  SHORT, 

F.  W.  A.  WOLL, 
LESLIE  H.  ADAMS, 
Miss  N.  M.  NOTT, 


President. 
Director. 
- Chief  Chemist. 
Physicist. 
Assistant  Chemist. 
2d  Assistant  Chemist. 
Farm  Superintendent. 
Clerk  and  Stenographer. 


Office  and  Laboratories , in  Agricultural  Hall , University  Grounds. 
Experimental  Farm,  with  buildings,  joins  the  college  grounds  on  the  west. 
Telephone  connection.  • 


REPORT  ON  CROPS  FOR  1888. 


L.  H.  ADAMS. 

INDIAN  CORN. 

Of  thirteen  varieties  of  dent  corn  most  of  which  were 
advertised  to  mature  in  southern  Wisconsin,  only  three 
were  found  sufficiently  early  to  depend  upon  for  a general 
crop,  viz.:  Pride  of  the  North , North  Star  Golden  Dent  and 
Queen  of  the  North.  The  first  two  varieties  have  been  en- 
dorsed by  the  Station  for  several  years.  The  Queen  of  the 
North  is  a larger  form  of  the  Pride  of  the  North,  and  conse- 
quently a few  days  later  than  the  last  named  variety,  but  in 
an  ordinary  season  it  can  be  relied  upon  to  mature  in  south- 
ern Wisconsin. 

For  that  portion  of  the  state  that  can  not  mature  the  dent 
varieties,  the  Station  has  found  nothing  superior  to  the  King 
Phillip,  unless  it  be  Sibley’s  White  Flint,  a variety  that  at- 
tracted much  favorable  comment  from  visiting  farmers,  who 
saw  it  growing  on  our  grounds  the  past  season.  One  peck 
of  seed  of  this  variety  was  received  from  The  Hiram  Sibley 
Seed  Co.,  Chicago,  111.,  last  spring;  it  was  drilled  in  rows  that 
were  three  feet  and  two  inches  apart,  and  it  averaged  a stalk 
every  six  and  one-half  inches.  Notwithstanding  the  thick- 
ness of  planting  the  corn  attained  a height  of  nine  feet  and 
produced  exceptionally  fine  large  ears  that  were  well  filled 
out  at  the  lip.  Twenty-five  stalks  taken  at  random  from  the 
field  yielded  eighteen  well  developed  ears;  now,  unless  it 
be  borne  in  mind  how  thick  the  corn  stood,  this  yield  of  ears 
will  seem  very  common  place,  but,  as  the  crop  was  in- 
tended for  the  silo,  the  idea  at  planting  time  was  to  grow  as 
much  fodder  as  possible  to  the  acre  rather  than  to  develop 
the  greatest  number  of  ears. 

Much  significance  attaches  to  this  new  and  promising 
variety  of  corn,  from  the  fact  that  there  is  an  ever  increas- 


4 


in g demand  for  more  ear  and  less  coarse  stalk  for  the  silo, 
and  any  variety  that  will  combine  these  features  most  per- 
fectly together  with  early  matuiity  will  find  a ready  place 
in  our  list  of  forage  crops. 


Notes  on  Corn  for  the  Year  of  1888. 


Name  of  Variety. 

Time  of 
ripening. 

1 

Height 
of  stalk 
• (ft). 

Parties  from 
whom  seed 
was 

obtained. 

Remarks. 

Man  dan  Indian 

Aug.  13 

5. 

Vaughan . . 

Grains  on  ears  of  all 
colors. 

Golden  Dew  Drop. . 

Aug.  23 

6.5 

Henderson. 

Yellow  Flint. 

Self  Husking 

Aug.  25 

7. 

Henderson. 

Amber  color.  No 
special  merit 

Hudson  Bay 

Sibley's  Pride  of  the 

Aug.  25 

8. 

Landretli . . 

Yellow  Flint.  Very 
small  grains. 

North 

Sept.  15 

8.5 

Sibley 

Y.  Dent,  reliable  for 
southern  Wisconsin. 

North  Star  G.  Dent. 

Sept.  17 

8.7 

Vaughan . . 

Y.  Dent,  reliable  for 
southern  Wisconsin. 

Ca  pi  tal  Corn 

Sept.  25 
Sept.  17 

10.5 

Wilson.. 

Yellow  Dent.  Too  late. 
Will  mature,  but  in- 
ferior to  Pride  of  the 
North. 

Wis.  Yellow  Dent. . 

9. 

Salzer 

Queen  of  the  North . 
Blount's  Prolific. . . . 

Sept.  20 
Did  not 

8.5 

Salzer 

A few  days  later  than 
Pride  of  the  North. 

Clearage  Y.  Dent. . . 

mature. 
Did  not 

9.5 

Thorburn . . 

White,  half  dent.  Too 
late. 

Farmer’s  Favorite  G. 
Dent 

mature. 
Did  not 

10. 

Vaughan. . 

An  Ohio  variety. 

Smedley  Y.  Dent . . . 

mature. 
Did  no.t 

11. 

Henderson. 

Too  late. 

Calico  Dent 

mature. 
Did  not 

9.8 

Sibley 

Suited  to  Ohio  and 
Illinois. 

Golden  Beauty 

mature. 
Did  not 

9.5 

Vaughan. . 

Mixed  dent,  known 
also  as  ‘ ‘ Bloody 

Edmond’s  Premium 

mature. 

10. 

Dept  of  Ag. 
Wasli'gt'n 

Butcher.” 
AYello'v  dent. 

Dent 

Hickory  King 

Sept.  25 
Did  not 

9. 

Vaughan. . 

Much  like  Pride  of 
North,  but  10  days 
later. 

mature. 

12. 

Vaughan. . 

Entirely  too  late  for 
Wisconsin. 

5 


SWEET  CORN. 

The  following  varieties. of  sweet  corn  were  planted  May 
29th  for  the  purpose  of  studying  the  comparative  earliness 
of  the  different  kinds: 

2  Amber  Cream,  1 Breck’s  Premium,  4 Black  Mexican,  4 Crosby’s  Early, 
1 Cory,  6 Crane’s  Sweet,  2 Early  La  Crosse,  4 Excelsior,  1 Egyptian,  3 Early 
Nari  agansett,  3 E.  Minnesota,  3 Henderson's,  4 Hickox  Improved,  im- 
proved Evergreen,  4 Late  Mammoth,  3 Marblehead,  2 Moore’s  Early,  3 Mam. 
Sugar,  2 Northern  Pedigree,  5 Ne  Plus  Ultra,  4 Old  Colony,  4 Perry’s 
Hybrid,  4 Potter's  Excelsior,  3 Shaker’s  Early,  3 Sweet  Fodder  Corn, 
1 Stabler’s  Early. 

For  the  very  earliest  use,  three  varieties  may  be  named, 
with  preference  in  the  order  given:  Cory,  Early  La  Crosse, 
Early  Narragansett. 

For  second  early:  Early  Minnesota  and  Perry’s  Hybrid 

are  recommended. 

Stowell’s  Evergreen  and  Henderson’s  Sugar  Corn,  are  very 
superior  for  extremely  late  varieties. 

PARTIES  FROM  WHOM  SEED  WAS  OBTAINED. 

1 Department  of  Agriculture,  Washington,  D.  C. 

2 John  A.  Salzer,  La  Crosse,  Wis. 

3 Peter  Henderson,  35  and  37  Cortlandt  St.,  New  York  City. 

4 J.  C.  Vaughan,  Chicago,  111. 

5 J.  M.  Thorburn,  15  John  St.,  New  York  City. 

6 Thos.  Crane,  Ft.  Atkinson,  Wis. 


OATS. 

There  is  no  crop  grown  on  the  farm  to  which  so  little  time 
and  attention  to  the  seed  is  devoted  as  oats.  Many  farmers 
when  asked  what  varieties  of  corn  or  potatoes  they  grow  are 
able  to  give  a definite  answer,  but  when  the  oat  crop  is 
enquired  about  the  reply  oftenest  received  is,  “Oh,  I grow 
the  common  white  oats.”  That  is  a very  indefinite  and 
unsatisfactory  answer,  for  the  advantage  to  be  derived  from 
the  use  of  good  pure  seed  of  some  well  established  variety 
is  just  as  apparent  in  the  oat  crop  as  it  is  with  corn  or 
potatoes. 


6 


And  even  if  pure  seed  of  some  new  variety  is  introduced, 
its  identity  is  soon  lost,  for  we  do  not  take  pains  to  select 
and  set  apart  the  best  for  seed.  We  go  into  the  cornfield  in 
the  fall  and  select  the  most  perfect  ears  for  seed  and  hang 
them  away  in  a dry  and  secure  place;  this  method  of  selec- 
tion enables  us  to  grow  the  same  variety  for  a great  many 
years  in  one  locality  without  its  losing  the  valuable  charac- 
teristics peculiar  to  it. 

How  is  it  with  our  oats?  Too  often  the  selection  of  seed 
is  put  off  until  spring  and  then  after  the  crop  has  been 
nearly  all  sold  or  fed  up,  we  go  to  the  ‘f  feed  bin  ” and  take 
what  is  left,  and  as  the  land  is  all  plowed  and  ready  for  the 
seed  we  are  sometimes  tempted  not  to  take  the  time  neces- 
sary to  run  it  through  the  fanning  mill  to  blow  out  the 
light  and  immature  seeds,  but  sow  it  just  as  it  is.  The 
threshing  machine  is  a potent  cause  of  varieties  becoming 
mixed,  if  proper  precautions  are  not  taken. 

In  selecting  new  varieties  for  seed,  one’s  choice  should 
not  be  influenced  too  much  by  the  simple  claims  of  a large 
yield,  for  experience  may  prove  that  the  large  yield  can 
only  be  produced  under  certain  conditions;  a.dry  season  will 
hold  a variety  back  that  ordinarily  grows  so  rank  as  to  be 
unable  to  stand,  and  make  it  possible  for  it  to  yield  heavily. 
The  thickness  of  the  hull  should  also  be  taken  into  consid- 
eration. A study  of  the  twenty  six  varieties  grown  by  us 
the  past  season,  resulted  in  finding  a difference  of  ten  per 
cent,  in  the  weight  of  hulls  of  different  varieties;  this  fact 
though  rarely  thought  of  when  selecting  a new  variety,  is 
worthy  of  consideration. 

Twenty  six  varieties  of  oats  were  sown  April  19th,  on 
plats  containing  one  thirtieth  of  an  acre  each,  at  the  rate 
of  two  and  one  half  bushels  per  acre.  A number  of  the 
varieties  given  are  undoubtedly  identical,  and  mention  will 
only  be  made  of  a few  of  known  merit. 


7 


Yield  of  Oats  for  the  Year  1888. 


Name  of  Variety 

Yield 
of  Plat. 

Ra.te  per 
Acre. 

Lngth 

of 

Straw 

Wg’t. 

per 

Bush’l 

Date  of 
Maturity. 

Where  seed 
was 

obtained. 

/ 

Grain 

u 

-4J 

ai 

Grain 

£ 

c3 

W. 

lbs. 

lbs. 

Bus 

lbs. 

ft. 

lbs. 

American  Banner. 

m 

188  72.6 

5,640 

3.1 

32  • 

Aug . 3 

Vaughan. 

Black  Tartarian. . . 

89 

168  36.5 

5,040 

3.6 

31' 

Aug.  13 

Henderson, 

Black  Champion . . 

49^ 

156  46. 

4,680 

3.6 

32 

Aug.  13 

Farm. 

Badger  Queen .... 

66 

192  61.8 

5,760 

4.1 

35 

July  30 

Vaughan. 

Black  Russian .... 

45  £ 

172  42.6 

5,160 

3.2 

34 

Aug . 4 

Vaughan. 

Canada  White .... 

65 

188  60.9 

5,640 

3.9 

33 

Aug . 4 

Thorburn. 

Egyptian 

59 

182 

55.3 

5,460 

3.9 

36 

Aug.  3 

Vaughan. 

Early  Dak.  White 

m 

190  67. 

5,700 

3.9 

32 

July  30 

Salzer. 

Huebner’s  Holland 

55i 

126,52. 

3,780 

3.7 

34 

Aug.  4 

Farm. 

Henderson’s 

Clydesdale 

674 

204  63.2 

6,120 

4.2 

34 

July  30 

Henderson, 

Improved  White 

Russian 

59i 

196,55.7 

5,880 

3.9 

33 

Aug.  13 

Salzer. 

Landreth’s  Rust 

V 

Proof 

474 

186  44.5 

5,580 

3.6 

32 

Aug.  13 

Landreth. 

Mesopotamia 

59 

186  55.3 

5,580 

3.9 

35 

July  30 

Salzer. 

Probsteir 

67 

194  62.8 

5,820 

3.6 

32 

Aug.  4 

Landreth. 

Pringle’s  Progress 

74 

162,69.3 

4,860 

3.5 

27 

July  30 

Vaughan. 

Race  Horse 

694 

184  65.1 

5,520 

4.1 

36 

July  30 

Vaughan. 

State  of  North  Da- 

kota . . 

130  51.5 

3,900 

3.8 

34 

Aug.  3 

Farm. 

Swedish 

774 

188^72.6 

5,640 

4.0 

34 

Aug.  3 

Farm. 

Welcome 

564 

14052.7 

4,200 

4.0 

39 

July  30 

Vaughan. 

Waterloo. 

62 

156.58.1 

4,680 

4.4 

38 

July  30 

Farm. 

White  Swede 

674 

184  63. 

15,550 

3.8 

33 

Aug.  4 

Farm. 

White  Victoria. . . 

484 

130145.2 

3,900 

3.7 

39 

Aug.  3 

Farm. 

Wide  Awake 

724 

170  64.8  5,100 

35 

Aug.  3 

Vaughan. 

White  Schonen . . . 

674 

150  63.2  4,500 

3.9 

33 

Aug.  3 

Farm. 

White  Seizure. . . . 

66 

162  61 .8  4,860 

4.0 

39 

July  30 

Farm. 

White  Belgian .... 

594 

200 ! 55 . 7 , 6 , 000  j 

1 1 1 

4.2 

35 

1 

Aug.  1 

Landreth. 

In  order  to  ascertain  if  there  were  any  great  variation  in 
the  weigh  t of  the  hulls  of  different  varieties,  the  hulls  of 
100  grains  were  carefully  separated  from  the  grain  proper 
with  the  following  results: 


8 


Weight  of  100  Grains  of  Oats  and  Hull  from  Same. 


Name  of  Variety. 

Weight  of 
100  grains. 

Weight  of 
hulls 
from  100 
grains. 

Per  cent 
of  hull. 

Color. 

Grams. 

Grams. 

American  Banner 

2.9886 

.8448 

28.26 

White. 

Black  Tartarian 

2.6855 

.9868 

36.76 

Black. 

Black  Champion 

2.6454 

.7802 

Black. 

Badger  Queen 

2.8766 

.9763 

33.93 

White. 

Black  Russian 

2.2869 

.6586 

28.79 

Black. 

Canada  White 

2.3965 

.6882 

28.72 

White. 

Egyptian 

2.6392 

.8416 

31.88 

Dull  white. 

Early  Dakota  White 

2.0607 

.5553 

26.95 

White. 

Huebner’s  Holland 

2.9828 

.8751 

29.34 

White. 

Henderson’s  Clydesdale. . 

2.6592 

.9444 

35.52 

Dull  white. 

Improved  White  Russian. 

2.7413 

.8069 

29.43 

White. 

Landreth’s  Rust  Proof 

3.0936 

.8616 

27.85 

Brown. 

Mesopotamia 

2.5748 

.8943 

34.73 

Yellowish. 

Brobsteir 

2.9049 

. 7765 

26.74 

Yellowish. 

Pringle’s  Progress. ...... 

2.4718 

.1029 

32.48 

Dull  white. 

Race  Horse 

2.7486 

.7637 

27.77 

Dull  white. 

State  of  North  Dakota. . . 

2.0963 

.6174 

26.45 

Yellowish. 

Swedish 

2.7641 

.7347 

26.59 

Yellowish. 

Welcome 

3.1590 

1.0738 

33.91 

White. 

Waterloo 

2.9156 

1.0109 

34.67 

White. 

White  Swede 

2.8621 

.7868 

27.48 

White. 

White  Victoria 

3.1524 

.9842 

31.16 

White. 

Wide  Awake 

>45.0402 

.8394 

27.62 

White. 

White  Schonen 

2.6153 

.7109 

"277T8 

White. 

White  Seizure 

2.9133 

.9272 

31.84 

White. 

White  Belgian 

2.7801 

.9009 

32.41 

1 

White. 

The  table  shows  the  Black  Tartarian  to  have  the  greatest 
percentage  of  hulls*  while  the  precediug  table  show’s  it  to 
run  only  31  lbs.  per  bushel.  Too  little  study  has  yet  been 
devoted  to  this  line  of  investigation  to  warrant  any  ex- 
tended remarks,  but  it  is  worthy  of  being  looked  into  by  our 
experiment  stations. 

Another  year’s  experience  warrants  us  in  continuing  the 
White  Schonen  at  the  head  of  the  list;  our  reason  for  urg- 
ing this  variety  is,  that  the  seed  may  be  obtained  in  any 
quantity  at  reasonable  prices,  of  Wisconsin  faimers  them- 
selves. 

The  “Swedish”  oat  has  now  been  grown  three  years  on 
the  farm  and  has  proved  very  constant  in  its  yield;  it  stands 


9 


up  well,  has  a thin  hull.  The  seed  was  obtained  of  F.  A. 
Huebner,  Manitowoc,  Wis. 

The  “ Welcome  ” is  a very  prolific  and  hardy  variety,  but 
has  a thick  hull. 

Salzer’s  White  Bonanza  produced  a heavy  crop  with  us 
the  past  seasoe,  and  seems  to  be  \ery  promising;  more  than 
one  season’s  experience  is  necessary,  however,  before  pas- 
sing judgment. 

Early  Dakota  White  was  one  of  the  very  earliest  to  ripen 
and  it  stood  up  beautifully;  it  also  has  a thin  hull. 

The  American  Banner  is  a novelty  that  yielded  at  the  rate 
of  seventy  two  bushels  per  acre,  though  it  tested  only  thirty- 
two  pounds  to  the  bushel.  The  hull  is  not  very  thick;  straw 
stiff,  color  white.  It  promises  well  and  will  be  watched  with 
interest.  Seed  was  obtained  of  J.  C.  Yaughan,  Chicago,  111. 


BARLEY. 

An  effort  was  made  last  spring  to  increase  the  list  of  bar- 
leys hitherto  grown  on  the  farm,  which  resulted  in  the  ad 
dition  of  two  varieties,  only  one  of  which,  the  Scotch  barley, 
seems  to  possess  sufficient  merit  to  be  worthy  of  attention; 
while  in  the  list  it  ranks  third  in  productiveness,  it  deserves 
second  place,  for  it  was  the  only  variety,  with  the  single 
exception  of  the  Mansliury,  that  did  not  fall  down,  and  had 
the  grain  been  harvested  with  a machine,  the  other  varie- 
ties given  in  the  table  would  not  have  shown  as  favorable 
results  as  they  do. 

The  Manshury.  however,  won  an  easy  victory  over  all 
competitors  again  this  year,  and  the  reports  received  from 
farmers  who  have  grown  it  for  several  years  fully  sustain 
us  in  our  opinion  that  it  is  the  most  desirable  of  all  vari- 
eties for  the  general  crop. 


10 


Yield  of  Barley  for  1888. 


Yield  of 
Plat. 

Rate  per 
Acre. 

£ 

3 

73  © 

© 3 
©■3 

Name  of  Variety. 

Grain. 

£ 

c3 

02 

Grain. 

Straw. 

,op 

Date  of 
mati 

W Co 

© ® 
c-<  B 

g eg 

Remarks. 

lbs. 

lbs. 

bush. 

lbs. 

Black  Barley 

20 

23.3 

3,  00 

58 

July  28.. 

Flagler. . 

Only  a very  small 
plat  grown. 

Chevalier 

55M 

170 

23.2 

3,400 

44 

July  28.. 

Farm.... 

Straw  weak  and 
rusted,  2 rowed. 

Highland  Chief 

47^ 

53^ 

172 

29.6 

5,160 

4,980 

46 

July  24.. 
July  17.. 

* 

Weak  straw. 

Imperial 

16b 

33.4 

41 

Farm. . . . 

Straw  flat  on  the 
ground. 

Melon 

53  M 

174 

22.3 

3,480 

42 

July  27. . 

Farm.,.. 

Straw  short  and 
rusted,  2 rowed. 

Manshury 

85  M 

168 

53.5 

5,040 

46 

July  17. . 

Farm.. . . 

Most  desirable  of 
all,  6 rowed. 

Nepaul 

5434 

134 

34. 

4,020 

54 

July  16. . 

Farm... . 

Hulless,  no  partic- 
ular merit. 

Sibley’s  Imperial 

52 

172 

32.5 

5,160 

42 

July  24.. 

Farm.... 

Weak  straw,  6 
rowed. 

Scotch 

71 

134 

44.3 

4,020 

46 

July  18.. 

Salzer.. . 

2nd  best  variety, 
stands  up  well. 

Vermont  Champion. 

75 

170 

46.8 

5,100 

47 

July  16.. 

Farm... . 

A prolific  2 rowed 
variety,  straw 
weak. 

*Nortlirop,  Braslan  & Goodwin  Co.,  Minneapolis,  Minn. 


POTATOES. 

A great  many  varieties  of  potatoes  that  were  mentioned 
in  the  report  for  1887  were  thrown  out  the  past  season  to 
make  room  for  the  many  new  kinds  that  are  striving  for 
recognition,  and  still  the  list  is  so  long  that  instead  of  report- 
ing this  year’s  results  in  tabular  form,  which  only  tends  to 
confuse  and  bewilder,  it  is  deemed  wisest  only  to  give  notes 
and  call  attention  to  those  varieties  which  seem  to  merit 
further  trial. 

The  majority  of  the  varieties  tested  were  planted  April 
25th  in  time  to  get  the  benefit  of  the  early  rains.  Some 
seed  did  not  reach  us  until  a week  or  ten  days  later;  this  in 
connection  with  the  peculiar  character  of  the  season,  rainy 
in  the  spring,  with  a week  of  hot  sultry  weather  in  July 
followed  by  drought,  developed  a blight  that  injured  all 
varieties  more  or  less;  the  vines  of  a few  varieties,  notice- 
ably that  of  the  Badger  State  Peach  Blow,  pushed  on  with 
remarkable  vigor  and  retained  their  freshness  up  to  the 
time  of  digging,  September  24.  The  great  majority,  how- 


11 


ever,  were  injured  so  badly  that  they  offered  little  resistance 
to  the  dry  weather  that  subsequently  followed;  the  result 
was,  that  while  a few  of  the  earliest  varieties  nearly  reached 
perfection,  others  were  a long  way  from  maturity,  and  as  a 
consequence  there  was  a deficiency  in  quality  as  well  as  in 
yield;  hence  the  cooking  test  to  ascertain  the  quality  did 
not  give  very  satisfactory  results,  and  the  markings  must 
be  accepted  with  a degree  of  allowance.  In  the  cooking 
test  10  was  taken  as  perfection. 

The  potatoes  were  grown  on  clover  sod,  the  soil  being  a 
clay  loam,  made  light  and  porous  by  tile  drains.  Seed  was 
prepared  by  cutting  large  potatoes  into  pieces  containing 
two  eyes  each,  which  were  planted  one  piece  in  a place 
twelve  inches  apart,  the  rows  being  three  feet  and  two 
inches  apart,  level  cultivation  was  given;  a Paris  green 
solution  was  used  in  fighting  the  potato  beetle. 

The  varieties  of  potatoes  tested  this  season  numbered 
sixty-eight,  as  follows: 

13  Alma,  13  Beauty  of  Hebron,  13  Burbank’s  Seedling,  13  Blue  Victor, 

6 Black  Hawk  Standard,  11  Bermuda-Island,  7 Bonanza,  3 Brother  Jona- 
than, 3 Badger  State  Peach  Blow,  2Chas.  Downing,  3 Crane’s  June  Eat- 
ing, 13  Cook’s  Superb,  13  Clark’s  No.  1,  33  Dakota  Red,  8 Dictator,  13  Early 
Maine,  13  E.  Sunrise,  :3E.  Ohio,  13  E.  Telephone,  13  Empire  State,  13  E. 
Harvest,  13  E.  Pearl,  10  Extra  Early  Vermont,  10  Early  Rose,  2 E.  Albino, 
12  General  McClellan,  13  Green  Mountain,  13  Garfield,  8 Great  Eastern, 

1 Grenado,  13  Huebner’s  Badger  State,  10  Henderson’s  1 E.  Puritan,  Halo 
of  Dakota,  4 Hotel  Favorite,  12  Irish  Lemon,  13  Jumbo,  13  Lee’s  Favorite, 

12  Lake  Michigan,  13  Mayflower,  13  Mammoth  Prolific,  7 Morning  Star, 

T New  Wide  Awake,  2 New  Late  Potato,  9 Ohio  Junior,  13  Pearl  of  Savoy, 

13  Prohibitionist,  13  Polaris,  13  Potentate,  4 Pride  of  Wisconsin,  13  Red  Star, 
13  Rose  Seedling,  13  Rochester  Favorite,  8 Rural  New  Yorker,  3 Red  Bird, 
13 St.  Patrick,  8 Sunlit  Star,  J Salzer’s  Iron  Clad,  5 Summit,  13Thorburn, 

12  Thunderbolt,  12  Uncle  Ben,  32  Uncle  Ben  and  Early  Rose,  cross,  12  Un- 
cle Ben  and  White  Elephant,  cross,  12  Uncle  Ben  and  Early  Ohio,  cross, 

13  Vangard,  13  Vick’s  Extra  Early,  13  Watson  Seedling,  7 Windsor’s  No.  1. 


EARLY  VARIETIES. 

Of  the  early  varieties  grown  by  us  for  a sufficient  length 
of  time  to  enable  us  to  speak  with  some  degree  of  certainty, 
the  following  are  recommended: 


12 


Pearl  of  Savoy . — Tubers  of  this  variety  are  oval  in  form, 
eyes  shallow,  of  a deep  rose  color;  July  23d  it  yielded  at  the 
rate  of  164.3  bushels  of  marketable  potatoes  per  acre;  when 
fully  matured  the  yield  was  at  the  rate  of  217.7  bushels  of 
large  tubers  per  acre.  It  has  a very  thrifty,  strong  top  that 
enables  it  to  withstand  blight  when  others  succumb.  While 
this  variety  is  grown  extensively  in  some  localities,  it  is  not 
generally  known  or  appreciated. 

The  Beauty  of  Hebron  has  not  yet  outlived  its  usefulness, 
and  as  the  seed  of  this  well  known  sort  can  be  cheaply  and 
easily  procured,  our  farmers  would  do  well  to  continue 
growing  this  rather  than  pay  fancy  prices  for  the  inevitable 
“ novelties  ” that  make  their  appearance  every  spring,  and 
that  have  nothing  but  a catalogue  reputation  back  of  them. 
July  23d  this  variety  yielded  at  the  rate  of  150.5  bushels  of 
large  potatoes  per  acre;  when  fully  matured  the  yield  was 
153  bushels. 

Crane's  June  Eating  has  now  been  grown  three  years  on 
the  farm,  and  the  results  the  past  season  will  sustain  the 
favorable  opinion  expressed  of  it  in  previous  reports;  it  is 
one  of  the  very  earliest  kinds  known  to  us.  In  our  cooking 
test,  graded  nine;  in  form  it  is  much  like  the  Early  Rose, 
but  of  a rich  yellowish  color, eyes  shallow.  At  the  first  dig- 
ging, July  23,  the  yield  was  151  bushels,  and  when  mature 
1G0.3  bushels  of  marketable  potatoes  per  acre. 

To  the  three  early  varieties  already  mentioned  might  be 
added  the  Early  Sunrise  and  Tkorburn,  both  combining 
quality  and  productiveness  to  a degree  that  makes  them 
not  only  desirable,  but  profitable  sorts  to  raise. 

The  Polaris , the  seed  of  which  came  from  the  Department 
of  Agriculture  at  Washington,  has  been  grown  now  for  two 
years,  and  we  have  failed  to  note  any  point  of  superiority 
over  other  already  established  early  kinds. 

MEDIUM  AND  LATE  VARIETIES. 

Of  the  medium,  and  late  potatoes  no  one  variety  has 
been  found  that  possessed  sufficient  uniformity  of  merits  to 
make  it  a standard  by  which  to  judge  others. 

Numerous  heavy  yielding  varieties  are  found  among  the 


13 


late  sorts,  but  it  would  seem  that  as  the  yield  increases, 
the  quality  decreases,  and  therefore  it  is  a difficult  mat- 
ter to  make  a fair  and  impartial  decision. 

For  a medium  or  late  variety,  the  Station  wishes  to  call 
attention  to  the  “ Summit”  the  seed  of  which  came  from 
E.  E.  Stine,  Cuyahoga  Falls,  Ohio;  this  potato  was  origina- 
ted by  Mr.  Stine,  and  named  by  him,  after  the  county  in 
which  he  resides;  it  bids  fair  to  do  him  much  credit. 

The  tubers  are  oblong  in  form  and  of  exceptionally  good 
size,  there  being  but  a small  per  cent,  of  unmarketable  tu- 
bers. The  vines  are  wonderfully  strong  and  luxuriant, 
which  enables  it  to  resist  the  ravages  of  drought  and  insects 
to  a remarkable  degree.  It  was  one  of  a very  few  late  varie- 
ties that  graded  nine  in  quality.  The  yield  was  at  the  rate 
of  208  5 bushels  of  marketable  potatoes  per  acre.  From  the 
reports  obtained  of  others  who  have  grown  the  Summit  po- 
tato, together  with  our  own  experience,  the  Station  feels 
justified  in  recommending  this  variety  for  trial. 

The  Badger  State  Peach  Blow  is  the  result  of  an  effort  to 
replace  the  old  Peach  Blow,  and  if  the  yield  and  quality  of 
the  past  season  do  not  prove  to  be  phenomenal,  success  will 
at  least  be  partially  attained.  Unlike  the  original  variety, 
the  Badger  State  Peach  Blow  in  form  is  long,  sometimes 
flattened,  and  the  eyes  are  not  so  deep;  in  color  they  are 
alike.  This  variely  graded  nine  in  quality;  and  the  yield 
was  200.5  bushels  of  large  potatoes  per  acre.  As  previously 
stated  this  was  one  of  the  varieties  that  remained  green  un- 
til frost  came;  as  a result  of  this  extended  growing  period 
the  tubers  were  much  above  the  average  in  size. 

The  following  are  the  varieties  that  yielded  not  less  than 
175  bushels  of  large  potatoes  per  acre:  Badger  State  Peach 
Blow,  209.5;  Dictator,  181;  Extra  Early  Vermont,  212;  Early 
Albino,  190;  Halo  of  Dakota,  215.3;  Pearl  of  Savoy,  217.7; 
Pride  of  Wisconsin,  181,2;  Salzer’s  Iron  Clad,  187.3;  Summit, 
208.5. 

While  some  of  the  above  varieties  graded  low  in  our 
cooking  test,  we  do  not  feel  justified  in  condemning  them  for 
that  reason  alone,  with  but  a single  season’s  experience,  for 
the  damage  caused  by  the  blight  and  drouth  would  fall 


u 


heaviest  upon  the  late  varieties,  and  the  quality  would  be 
seriously  impaired,  as  well  as  the  yield. 

PARTIES  FROM  WHOM  SEED  WAS  OBTAINED. 

1 John  A.  Salzer,  La  Crosse,  Wis. 

2 C.  E.  Angell,  Oshkosh,  Wis. 

3 Thos.  Crane,  Fort  Atkinson,  Wis. 

4 F.  A.  Huebner,  Manitowoc,  Wis. 

5 E.  E.  Stine,  Cuyahoga  Falls,  Ohio. 

6 W.  H.  Scholz,  Spring  Green,  Wis. 

7 Iowa  Seed  Co.,  Des  Moines,  Iowa. 

8 J.  M.  Thorburn,  15  John  St.,  New  York  City. 

9 J.  C.  Vaughan,  Chicago,  111. 

10  Peter  Henderson  & Co.,  35  & 37  Cortlandt  St.,  New  York  City. 

11  J.  V.  Cotta,  Nursery,  111. 

12  Maurice  R.  Haskins,  Belvidere,  111. 

13  Farm. 


GRAPE-GROWING  AND  THE  STATION  VINEYARD. 


W.  A.  HENRY. 

At  this  date  it  is  almost  universally  conceded  that  apple 
growing  is  a very  questionable  proceeding  in  Wisconsin  ; 
tens  of  thousands  of  fair  to  promising  orchards  of  six  or 
eight  years  ago  have  succumbed  to  the  series  of  disasters 
which  set  in  about  the  later  date,  and  dead  and  decaying 
trees  have  been  cut  down  or  grubbed  out  by  hundreds  of 
thousands  in  the  last  few  years.  Our  horticultural  friends 
are  talking  of  Russians,  hardy  native  seedlings,  etc.,  bat  the 
experience  of  the  people  is  too  tresh  in  mind  to  make  or- 
chard planting  as  tempting  a procedure  now  as  it  was  a de- 
cade or  two  ago.  Winter  apples  come  in  from  the  east  by 
train  loads  each  fall  and  will  continue  to  arrive  in  immense 
quantities  in  the  same  manner  for  years  yet  at  least.  In  the 
full  belief  and  hope  of  better  things  the  above  statements 
are  written,  not  for  the  purpose  of  discouraging  our  inter- 
ests in  this  standard  fruit,  but  of  making  a plain  statement 
of  facts.  While  the  condition,  as  set  forth  above,  is  affirmed, 
it  is  believed  on  the  other  hand,  that  we  do  not  half  appre- 
ciate our  horticultural  possibilities;  because  we  cannot  grow 
apples  equally  well  with  Michigan  and  New  York,  many 
seem  content  to  relax  all  effort  and  give  up  on  other  points 
where  fruit  could  be  produced  as  cheaply  as  anywhere  in 
the  world.  Because  we  cannot  do  it  all  it  is  not  wise  to  at- 
tempt nothing. 

Though  the  present  season  has  been  one  of  the  best  with 
us  for  grape  production  as  to  quantity,  at  least,  if  not  in 
quality,  grapes  have  been  shipped  into  the  state  from  other 
sections,  notably  Ohio  and  New  York,  in  immense  quanti- 
fies. At  Madison,  single  dealers  have  received  a car  load 
at  a time;  all  over  the  state  the  sales  have  been  remarkably 
heavy.  Now,  from  an  economical  standpoint,  this  is  all 
wrong.  Wisconsin  could  have  grown  every  pound  of  this 


15 


fruit  and  should  have  done  so.  There  is  no  more  reason  for 
our  buying  New  York  or  Ohio  grapes  than  for  our  purchas- 
ing cheese  and  butter  made  in  those  states.  A small  ex- 
ception is  made  to  the  above  statement  for  one  or  two  late 
maturing  varieties,  also  California  varieties  which,  in  a 
small  way,  will  find  a market  with  us,  no  matter  what 
quantity  we  produce.  These  eastern  grown  grapes  besides 
giving  the  producer  some  pay  probably  for  his  labor,  have 
yielded  a profit  to  at  least  two  railroad  companies  and  two 
or  more  middle  men  before  reaching  the  consumer.  Home 
grown  fruit  can  avoid  both  these  sources  of  increased  cost 
to  consumer  and  with  our  cheap  lands  and  fairly  favorable 
climate  we  should  make  an  intelligent  effort  to  supply  our 
own  needs  of  this  delicious  and  healthful  fruit.  A few  may 
argue  that  the  production  is  already  considerable  and  fruit 
shipped  in  sells  at  such  low  prices  that  there  is  no  induce- 
ment to  our  growers  to  enlarge  their  vinyards  or  plant  new 
ones.  Such  statements  are  not  worthy  of  attention  when  it 
is  considered  that  nineteen-twentieths  of  the  fruit  sold  this 
year  has  been  consumed  in  villages  and  cities  and  of  the 
one  hundred  and  fifty  thousand  farmers  in  this  state  not 
one  in  three  has  probably  had  a plate  of  grapes  on  the  table 
this  season.  With  the  few  orchards  found  upon  our  farms 
and  much  indifference  shown  to  small  fruit  culture  the 
dearth  of  palatable  fruits  on  farmers’  tables  is  very  noticea- 
ble; it  should  not  be  thus  and  will  not  be  when  our  people 
come  to  appreciate  the  possibilities  of  Wisconsin  for  grow- 
ing the  fruits  indicated. 

For  the  purpose  of  interesting  our  farmers  in  grape  plant- 
ing this  portion  of  the  bulletin  is  written,  in  the  hope  that 
its  directions  will  be  so  plain  and  reasonable  that  many  will 
become  interested  and  see  the  possibilities  in  this  horticul- 
tural line.  No  effort  will  be  made  to  show  surprising  profits 
and  immense  gains  in  order  to  start  a “ hop  yard  craze,” 
but  rather  to  stimulate  a healthy  interest  which  can  be  per- 
petuated with  satisfaction  to  all  concerned.  What  is  said 
is  not  for  amateurs  or  successful  vinyardists,  but  to  the  gen- 
eral farmer  who  may  have  an  ambition  aroused  to  grow 
grapes,  but  has  heretofore  been  deterred  because  of  the  great 


Worden  : From  photograph  taken  Fall  of  1888,  of  vine  planted  in  1882.  Vine 

occupies  same  land  as  required  by  four  hills  of  corn. 


17 


mystery  which  has  always  seemed  to  him  to  surround  viti- 
culture. He  has  been  blinded  by  elaborate  directions  for 
planting  and  training,  and  swamped  in  the  literature  of  new 
and  wonderful  varieties,  and  has  c )mc  to  regard  the  grape 
vine  as  a mystic  thing  which  yields  her  fruits  to  none  ex- 
cept those  who  know  her  secrets  and  how  to  unravel  them. 
In  full  expectation  of  arousing  antagonism  from  some  pro- 
fessionals, the  statement  is  made  that  grape  gro  wing  is  no 
more  difficult  than  corn  or  potato  raising,  and  can  be  as 
readily  acquired  by  any  farmer  who  will  give  reasonable 
attention  to  the  matter.  Tae  only  difference  is,  we  have 
come  into  the  practice  of  corn  growing  from  youth  up,  and 
so  have  acquired  the  different  steps  in  the  process  gradually, 
while  horticultural  subjects  have  been  generally  ignored 
and  seem  intricate  when  first  undertaken. 

Where  Grapes  may  be  Gro vo a.  — Any  good  corn  land  will 
do,  though  in  making  the  choice  select  just  as  for  an  early 
garden,  choosing  that  location  which  will  give  a sunny  ex- 
posure with  deep  soil.  There  are,  of  course,  choice  localities 
and  these  will  be  fou id  along  the  Mississippi  river  in  the 
valleys  from  Pierce  county  southward.  The  large  varieties 
of  dent  corn  grown  in  the  localities  indicated  show  that 
grapes  should  succeed  admirably.  The  hills  of  Vernon  and 
Richland  counties  also  offer  many  favorable  locations,  as 
do  the  gravelly  soils  of  Waukesha  county  overlying  lime- 
stone. In  these  choice  locations  commercial  vineyards  may 
be  set,  which  should  give  good  profits,  anl  the  time  will 
come  when  there  will  be  thousands  of  acres  of  such.  How- 
ever, the  farmer  not  so  favorably  situated  should  not  hold 
back  because  he  has  not  the  best  of  locations. 

VARIETIES. 

This  is  one  of  the  mojt  difficult  topics  to  handle  because 
our  impressions  change  from  year  to  year  with  more  study 
and  enlarged  observation. 

Mjore’s  Eirly  still  Lea  is  the  list  since  this  variety  will 
rip3n  in  most  localities  where  flint  corn  will  miture.  It  is 
a black  grape  with  large  berries  and  good  sized  clusters  and 
has  a fair  flavor.  It  has  not  borne  so  well  with  us  as  many 
2 


18 


other  varieties  but  from  the  general  expressions  regarding 
it  by  observant  growers,  it  probably  stands  at  the  head  of 
the  list  at  this  date,  mainly,  of  course,  because  it  is  so  early. 

Worden. — One  of  the  hardiest  varieties;  is  as  free  from 
mildew  as  the  Concord,  with  fruit  very  similar  to  that 
variety  which  it  closely  resembles  in  quality;  very  prolific, 
fully  one  week  e arlier  than  the  Concord.  Its  faults  are 
that  the  stem  is  very  brittle  so  that  the  bunches  break  to 
pieces  easily  while  the  skin  does  not  hold  the  berries  very 
firmly  to  the  cluster.  It  is  not  a good  shipping  grape.  De- 
spite these  last  two  faults  it  is  one  of  the  very  best  varieties 
for  general  planting  by  farmers  and  cannot  fail  to  please. 

Concord.  — A hardy  black  grape  of  fair  flavor  and  better 
shipping  qualities  than  the  Worden.  It  has  been  the 
standard  common  variety  for  many  years  but  must  now 
divide  honors  with  the  Worden  with  which  for  home  con- 
sumption it  suffers  by  comparison.  The  fact  that  it  is  a 
week  later  than  the  Worden  is  quite  important. 

Wilder. — A thick,  tough  skinned  black  grape  which  ripens 
nearly  as  early  as  the  Worden  and  proves  a good  keeper  for 
which  purpose  it  should  be  planted. 

Brighton. — A tender  skinned,  high  flavored  sweet,  copper 
colored  grape.  Is  somewhat  liable  to  mildew,  but  possesses 
such  excellent  qualities  that  one  can  afford  to  take  some 
risks  with  it. 

Delaware . — This  variety  has  done  remarkably  well  with 
us  and  has  been  entirely  free  from  mildew.  Its  only  fault 
has  been  in  over-bearing,  in  which  case  the  fruit  was  rather 
late  in  maturing.  Our  vineyard  is  on  loam  underlaid  by 
heavy  blue  clay.  We  have  seen  the  Dele  ware  bearing 
abundantly  on  pure  sand  in  the  garden  of  Mr.  J.  M.  Smith 
at  Green  Bay.  Many  find  this  variety  a failure,  but  with 
our  system  of  cultivation  it  will  probably  succeed  in  many 
cases.  The  compact  bunches  with  small  berries  are  very 
characteristic  and  the  fruit  commands  high  prices  in  the 
market. 

Niagara. — A white,  or  really,  yellowish  green  grape  that 
has  just  commenced  to  bear  with  us.  In  many  localities  it 


19 


is  wonderfully  prolific.  It  is  probably  the  only  white  grape 
worthy  of  trial  in  Wisconsin. 

With  the  Rogers'  Hybrids,  bearing  the  names,  Lindley, 
Salem,  Agawam  and  Massasoit  we  have  had  remarkably 
good  success  to  date,  the  only  fault  being  a tendency  to 
overbear.  The  fruit  of  these,  especially  the  Lindley,  is  re- 
markably fine  in  quality.  These  varieties  are  of  the  copper 
colored  type.  Where  one  is  willing  to  risk  a little  they 
should  be  planted  and  if  fair  success  is  attained  the  reward 
will  be  abundant;  indeed  they  are  so  excellent  that  one  had 
better  take  the  risk  and  plant  some  at  least. 

The  Janesville , long  recommended  as  an  early  grape  has 
proved  a very  inferior  variety  with  us  being  really  quite 
late.  It  colors  early  but  remains  very  sour  and  worthless 
for  weeks  after  it  has  turned  black.  We  have  no  use  for  it 
in  Wisconsin. 

Without  wishing  to  assume  too  much  the  above  list  is 
presented  with  the  preference  in  the  order  given.  Doubt- 
less we  shall  change  our  opinion  of  the  relative  merits  some 
what  as  time  goes  on  but  the  list  as  it  stands  is  the  best  that 
can  now  be  presented. 

Where  and  How  to  Purchase  Vines. — Buy  of  reliable 
nurserymen  within  our  own  state  or  those  advertising  in 
reliable  agricultural  papers.  These  parties  will  supply  vines 
at  surprisingly  low  rates.  Good  one  year  old  vines  true  to 
name,  can  be  had  in  quantity  at  rates  varying  from  six  to 
twenty  dollars  per  hundred,  according  to  variety;  single 
vines  of  course  come  higher.  At  these  prices  it  will  not  pay 
to  gather  up  prunings  and  attempt  to  grow  one’s  own  vines. 
Do  not  buy  of  traveling  fruit  tree  peddlers  whose  responsi- 
bility ends  with  delivering  something  they  know  not  what; 
such  persons  are  obliged,  in  order  to  make  wages,  to  charge 
exorbitant  prices.  The  ordinary  fruit  grower  should  have 
nothing  to  do  with  novelties  excepting  in  a limited  way  for 
the  interest  he  may  take  in  such  things.  There  are  scores 
of  amateurs  and  specialists,  who,  very  properly,  are  con- 
stantly on  the  watch  for  anything  new  and  the  reports  of 
these  persons  soon  show  the  value  of  the  new  candidites. 
N ovelties  necessarily  sell  at  high  prices  and  not  one  in 


20 


twenty  prove,  of  any  value.  Leave  novelties  out  of  the 
general  vineyard. 

Planting. — Prepare  the  soil  as  for  corn,  making  the  rows 
4 feet  apart  each  way;  skip  every  other  row  so  that  the 
vines  will  be  eight  feet  each  way.  Use  judgment  in  plant- 
ing, never  allowing  the  roots  to  become  dry  by  exposure  to 
the  air;  dig  large  holes  and  spread  the  roots  with  the  hands 
when  filling  up  with  earth. 

Training  — Set  a seven  foot  post  not  less  than  three  in- 
ches in  diameter  at  the  top  two  feet  in  the  ground  at  the 
time  of  planting.  Train  the  young  vine  to  this,  cutting 
back  at  the  end  of  the  season  to  two  buds.  For  the  first 
couple  of  years  do  not  expect  fruit,  but  endeavor  to  get  not 
less  than  four  canes  which  shall  start  close  to  the  ground. 
Train  these  canes  to  the  post,  cutting  back  each  fall.  The 
canes  thus  pruned,  after  a 3 ear  or  two  will  bear  some  fiuit, 
but  later,  the  fruit  will  come  from  buds  borne  on  spurs  on 
these  canes.  The  third  illustration  accompanying  this  re- 
port shows  the  appearance  of  the  vines  in  our  vinyard 
when  the  vine  is  six  years  old.  Aim  to  never  have  less  than 
four  canes  to  each  vine,  each  of  which  has  from  three 
to  five  spurs  which  carry  about  three  buds  each  when 
pruned.  When  the  canes  attain  considerable  size,  cut  out 
one  each  season,  allowing  a new  shoot  from  near  the  ground 
to  take  its  place.  In  this  way  there  will  never  be  any  old 
snags  which  puzzle  the  grower.  Under  this  system  the 
fruit  will  much  of  it  be  borne  near  the  ground,  an  essential 
point  with  us,  as  such  fruit  ripens  earlier  and  is  richer  in 
flavor  than  that  borne  higher  up. 

Pruning . — Prune  in  the  fall  after  the  leaves  have 
fallen.  At  first  there  will  only  be  four  straight  canes; 
later,  as  before  mentioned,  there  will  be  spurs  (side  shoots) 
on  these.  Trim  the  spurs  back  to  two  or  three  buds.  By 
fall  pruning  the  vine  is  so  reduced  in  size  that  it  is  easily 
buried.  The  tallest  of  the  pruned  canes  should  be  no  longer 
than  the  posts. 

Summer  Pruning. — In  summer  time  when  all  the  canes 
have  been  confined  to  the  post  the  new  rapidly  growing 
shoots  will  spread  out  in  all  directions  forming  a somewhat 


Delawares  From  photograph  taken  Fall  of  1S88,  of  vine  planted  in  1882.  Vine 
occupies  same  land  as  required  by  four  hills  of  corn. 


21 


umbrella  shaped  top.  Cut  these  new  shoots  off  about  four 
leaves  beyond  the  last  fruit  cluster,  keeping  the  vine  in  a 
compact  mass  near  the  post. 

Cultivation. — Oar  experience  confirms  a belief  which 
came  upon  us  years  ago  that  our  vineyards,  as  a rule  were 
not  half  cultivated.  In  order  to  introduce  thorough  cultiva- 
tion, we  were  lead  to  training  the  vines  to  posts  and  the 
economy  with  which  all  the  labor  can  be  performed  together 
with  the  fair  amount  of  fruit,  at  least,  which  our  vines  have 
borne,  confirm  our  early  opinion  of  this  system.  By  having 
the  vines  eight  feet  apart  each  way,  cultivators  and  harrows 
can  be  freely  used,  and  there  is  no  excase  for  any  weeds  ap- 
pearing. Keep  the  ground  as  loose  as  an  ash  heap  all  the 
time,  not  cultivating  simply  to  keep  down  weeds  as  is  the 
usual  idea.  The  vines  respond  to  this  thorough  cultivation 
in  a remarkable  manner,  and  it  seems  to  hasten  the  maturity 
of  the  crop  and  increase  its  ability  to  resist  insects  and  dis- 
ease. It  has  been  objected  by  some  that  too  much  ground 
was  given  up  by  this  system  and  others  have  urged  that 
other  crops  should  be  grown  in  the  vineyard.  With  farming 
land  selling  at  forty  to  fifty  dollars  an  acre,  this  is  a weak  ob- 
jection to  raise.  Let  the  ground  be  given  up  wholly  to  the  vines 
and  no  attempt  made  to  double  crop  it.  AVhen  land  given  up 
to  grapes  will  yield  twice  as  much  weight  of  grapes  as  it  wil 
of  corn,  we  should  not  begrudge  the  vines  the  entire  use  of 
it.  For  the  first  two  or  three  years  when  the  vines 
are  small  it  may  do  to  grow  potatoes  or  hoed  crops  in  the 
vineyard,  but  as  soon  as  the  vines  commence  bearing  let  them 
have  all  they  can  get  out  of  the  land. 

Burying  the  Vines. — Here  is  another  point  greatly  misun- 
derstood by  many.  Our  people  have  mostly  immigrated 
from  a milder  climate  than  this  and  are  not  accustomed  to 
burying  plants  to  protect  them  from  the  rigors  of  winter. 
As  well  let  cattle  go  unhoused  in  winter  as  grape  vines  un- 
buried. Both  may  possibly  survive,  but  at  entirely  too 
great  cost.  Nor  is  the  labor  of  properly  protecting  them 
great  as  will  be  shown  further  on.  In  order  to  make  this 
matter  plain,  we  present  an  illustration  of  a scene  in  our 


22 


vineyard  this  fall  when  we  were  closing  up  the  vineyard  work. 
A trimmed  vine  temporarily  tied  to  a post  is  shown  on  the 
left.  Another  trimmed  vine  is  bent  over,  a man  standing 
with  his  foot  upon  the  top  while  an  assistant  throws  a few 
spade  fulls  of  earth  upon  it.  The  foot  is  then  removed  and 
both  men  continue  the  covering  until  the  vine  is  buried  just 
out  of  sight.  The  object  of  covering  is  not  to  keep  the  vine 
from  frost,  but  rather  to  keep  it  frozen  all  winter.  It  is  the 
alternate  freezing  and  thawing,  not  steady  cold  that  injures 
the  vine.  Bear  this  in  mind  and  do  not  cover  deep. 

Uncovering  the  Vines. — Before  the  buds  start,  but  as  late 
as  possible,  uncover  the  vines  by  gently  lifting  them  out  of 
the  earth  that  encases  them  with  a four  tined  fork.  The 
work  is  rapidly  performed.  As  will  be  seen  by  the  table  it 
requires  a total  of  15  hours,  work  for  burying  something 
like  168  vine,  while  only  six  hours  were  required  for  uncov- 
ering. The  earth  heaped  up  in  covering  the  vine  is  levelled 
again  with  the  first  cultivation. 

Fertilizing. — Of  course  the  land  should  be  kept  rich  and 
well  rotted  barn-yard  manure  will  accomplish  this.  In  our 
own  case,  as  the  land  was  rich  to  start  with,  we  have  ap- 
plied very  little  manure  up  to  date. 

The  Station  Vineyard. — In  order  to  show  accurately  the 
expense  of  keeping  up  our  little  vineyard  there  is  herewith 
presented  a table  showing  the  number  of  hours’  labor  ex- 
pended on  it,  and  the  date  on  which  the  labor  was  per- 
formed. These  figures  are  taken  from  the  farm  journal. 
Our  vineyard  is  twenty-four  vines  one  way,  by  seven  the 
other,  or  163  in  all.  All  are  not  bearing  vines,  owing  to  the 
fact  that  we  have  followed  the  practice  of  digging  out  in- 
ferior varieties  and  substituting  promising  candidates. 


23 


Table  Showing'  Total  Labor  Expended  on  Vineyard  of  168  Vines  for  Year 

1888,  in  Hours. 


Date. 

Uncovering. 

Pruning. 

Setting  plants. 

Setting  posts 
and  tieing  up. 

Cultiva  ting 
(man  and 
horse.) 

Hoeing. 

Picking. 

Covering. 

Removing 

trimmings. 

April  12  . 

6 

12 

3 

61 

4 

13  . 

18 

19 

1 

May  16 

11 

21 

14 

21.  . 

51 

.Tune  4 

2 

1 

9 

30 

9 

July  6. . . 

2 

1 

7 

14 

3 

25 

2 

30 

...  A . 

4 

li 

Aug.  5 

9 

7 

1 

10 

Sept.  3 

2 

24 

12 

13 

29 

Oct.  12 

8 

9 

13 

13 

1 

16 

94 

17 

6^ 

i 

Totals 

6 

471 

1 

11 

Hi 

14 

25 

151 

1 

We  omitted  pruning  the  fall  before,  hence  have  enumer- 
ated it  twice  in  the  chart.  Dropping  out  this  spring  pruning 
we  have  118J  hours  as  the  actual  time  required  for  the  com- 
plete care  of  a vineyard  of  168  vines  occupying  about  one- 
fourth  of  an  acre  of  land;  25  hours  or  nearly  one-fourth  of 
this  time  was  required  in  picking  the  fruit.  Allowing  15 
cents  per  hour  the  expense  is  $17.77  or  about  $70.00  per  acre 
per  annum. 

Yield  of  Fruit. — for  several  reasons  it  is  impossible  to 
give  the  yield  of  the  entire  vineyard.  We  have  visitors  daily 
at  that  season  of  the  year  and  all  pass  through  the  vineyard 


24 


and  naturally  and  very  properly  a good  many  of  the  grapes 
disappear  before  we  gather  the  crop.  Then  again  we  have 
dug  up  vines  here  and  there  for  the  purpose  of  setting  out 
better  varieties,  and  so  the  vineyard  is  not  in  full  bearing. 
The  following  is  some  of  the  weights  of  fruit  of  single  vines 
the  present  year: 


Yield  of  Single  Vines  of  Various  Varieties;  Fall  of  1883. 


Variety. 

Yield  | Rate 
per  vine  per  aero 
lbs.  j lbs. 

VT orden , (poor) 

6.7 

4,560 

8,296 

8,304 

5,780 

8,296 

5,576 

8,304 

13,124 

Worden,  (good) 

12.2 

Wilder,  (average) 

12.8 

Delaware,  (average) 

8.5 

Delaware,  (large) 

12.2 

Concord,  (poor) 

8.2 

Concord,  (good) ." 

12.3 

Salem,  (best  in  vinyard) 

19.3 

The  Lindley,  Agawam  and  Massasoifc  gave  yields  fully 
equal  to  the  Wilder. 

It  will  be  observed  that  from  an  average  Delaware  we 
obtained  fruit  at  the  rate  of  nearly  three  tons  per  acre. 
Corn  and  potatoes  to  give  the  same  rate  of  product  would 
have  to  yield  about  100  bushels  per  acre.  The  best  loaded 
S ilem  vine  yielded  at  the  rate  of  over  six  and  one  half  tons  to 
the  acre.  Several  other  vines  of  the  Rogers’  Hybrids  were 
nearly  as  well  loaded.  While  these  figures  may  not  be  at 
remarkable  to  vineyardists  I trust  they  will  make  a favorable 
impression  upon  soms  of  our  farmer  friends  who  are  going 
through  life  devoting  their  whole  energies  to  the  common 
field  crops,  growing  palatable  things  for  their  livestock 
while  their  tables  are  rarely  blessed  with  this  choice  fruit 
which  is  so  easily  and  abundantly  raised.  Putting  the  yield 
at  5,000  pounds  per  acre  which  would  sell  at  something  like 
four  cents  per  pound,  there  would  be  a gross  income  of  $200 
per  acre;  this  shows  agood  profit  after  all  expenses  are  met. 

The  Illustrations.  — Views  are  presented  of  a Delaware 
and  a Worden  vine  taken  this  fall  showing  the  fruitage  of 


Scene  in  vineyard,  October  20th,  1888  ; burying  the  vines. 


25 


our  vines  the  sixth  year  after  planting.  Those  receiving 
former  bulletins  will  recollect  illustrations  for  the  years 
1886  and  1887.  We  have  now  raised  an  abundant  crop  on 
this  vineyard  for  four  successive  years  and  while  we  can 
hardly  expect  such  continued  success,  we  shall  hope  for  a 
fair  reward  for  well  directed  labor  ; but  even  should  blight 
or  rot  strike  us  next  season  we  can  well  afford  to  keep  up 
the  cultivation  and  wait  for  a return  of  prosperity. 

Let  those  who  insist  that  we  cannot  grow  grapes  in  Wis- 
consin look  at  these  photographic  reproductions,  consider  the 
yields  reported  and  reflect  upon  the  simplicity  of  the  system 
of  training  and  cultivation.  Why  should  we  continue  to  im- 
port such  large  quantities  of  this  fruit  when  it  can  be  grown 
so  abundantly  upon  average  corn  land?  Why  continue  to 
argue  that  it  is  cheaper  to  buy  this  fruit  than  raise  it,  when 
in  our  hearts,  we  know  that  such  a statement  bared  to  the 
truth  means  that  we  shall  practically  go  without  it. 


